Legislative News

Often, we can become engrossed in national headlines, overlooking the fact that it is the decisions made on a local level that have the greatest impact on our daily lives. Issues such as trash pick-up, sidewalks, public transportation, economic growth, housing, and more are directly influenced by our local elected officials, underscoring the significance of local elections

Early voting for the August 4 primary election ends on Saturday, July 30. If you haven't registered to vote, you won't be able to vote in the August primary but you still have time to register before the upcoming November election.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the establishment of an exclusive 30-day listing period for the sale of foreclosed, formerly FHA-insured properties to Owner-Occupant Buyers, Governmental Entities, and HUD-approved nonprofits. The Biden Administration’s goal for this policy change is to ensure more single-family properties go towards home-ownership rather than fall into the hands of large investors who turn those homes into rentals.

The Biden-Harris Administration released plans to address racial and ethnic bias in home valuations to help address the racial, homeownership gap. A portion of this gap likely stems from an adverse trend of under-valuing homes in minority neighborhoods during the appraisal process. The PAVE Action Plan will address such discrimination in the process of appraising home values.

Greater Nashville REALTOR® and State Rep. Jason Powell sponsored a bill at the state legislature this year that seeks to study the cost and feasibility of an Amtrak rail line connecting Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis. Working on solutions to various transit-related problems in Middle Tennessee has been a key point of our association’s advocacy efforts for several years.

Mayor John Cooper recently announced the creation of the Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund, which was designed to assist Nashville families struggling with housing costs as well as provide more financial security to rental property owners. 

In March, the Western District Court of Tennessee ruled in favor of landlords who had filed suit against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that they do not have the statutory authority to place moratoria on evictions and such moratoria are beyond the powers granted to the CDC.

Thanks for Zooming with our Legislators during Virtual Days on the Hill earlier this month!  Overall statewide, REALTORS® met with 86 Tennessee House and Senate members. The meetings were filled with productive conversations as we shared the REALTOR® perspective with our elected officials. Thanks to all who participated!