Your Business Needs ARDA to be Strong!
Ever think about what the marketplace would look like
without ARDA as your strong industry advocate?
Our industry would have faced an end to same-day
timeshare sales/financing in more than 48 states. Legislation would have
been passed to increase real property taxes on timeshare interests
in Hawaii,
Missouri, and the
U.S. Virgin Islands. Onerous HOA regulations—costing millions of
dollars and thousands of work hours in compliance time—would have
gone into effect in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Nevada,
South Carolina, and Utah.
A major federal Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory
Lending Act would have mandated unnecessary and burdensome
requirements on the industry’s ability to provide purchase
financing to consumers. No one would have reached out to the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission to notify them that there remains
some misunderstanding at the state and local government level about
compliance obligations within the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and
Spa Safety Act.
Sound scary? All this and more would have
happened in 2008-2009 if ARDA did NOT exist. As a member, your
company support enables us to have one community voice heard on the
federal, state, and local levels—one that has continually spoken
out and protected our industry from potentially devastating
legislation.
Not convinced? Read through the Federal and
State legislative victories listed below. Then please remit
your FY 2010 corporate membership dues to ARDA as soon as you receive
your invoice.You
wouldn’t consider not insuring your Resorts– please
don’t leave your business uncovered either!
Now, more than ever, we must all work together to keep the industry strong and prosperous.
We’ll do our part. How about you?
Your Dues Make the
Difference!
Federal
Affairs | State Affairs | Your Dues At Work
Federal Affairs
Legislative 2009 Round Up
H.R.
3915, Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act
According to the definition of “loan originator,” ARDA
believed the licensing requirements would apply to the timeshare
industry.
The timeshare industry would have been materially and adversely
affected by the proposed language of HR 3221.
Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA)
The credit market dislocation created a very significant and
immediate liquidity crisis for timeshare developers and threatens the
industry’s continued viability.
Comprehensive
Immigration Reform
ARDA supports a tamper-proof employee verification system and
believes that this element is essential for the guest worker program to
function properly.
Green
Building: ARDA/Real Estate Industry Sustainability Statement
ARDA supports the advancement of an economically prosperous and
environmentally sustainable future and is committed to supporting all
commercially reasonable strategies that (a) promote sustainable
practices, (b) use energy more efficiently, and (c) employ cleaner
sources of energy.
Natural
Catastrophe Insurance
The high cost of insurance put property owners at greater financial
risk to recover from losses, while also affecting property values since
dramatic insurance increases often cannot be passed on to tenants.
Real
Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
ARDA and approximately 12,000 other parties provided comments on the
proposed rule to HUD. ARDA submitted comments on three specific issues
of interest to the timeshare industry.
Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA)
DOJ raised certain questions with respect to some of the major
proposed amendments which the department would like comment or
further education on.
Lilly
Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
The Ledbetter Act extends statutes of limitation for most federal
anti-discrimination laws, allowing an employee to file suit for
discriminatory decisions made long ago if the employee’s pay is
still affected by the results of the decision.
Virginia
Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act
The Act specifies that on or
after December 19,
2008, swimming pool and spa drain
covers must meet specific performance requirements.
Red
Flags Rule
The Rule
mandates creditors and financial institutions to implement
written identity theft prevention programs.
State Affairs Round Up:
2008 - 2009 Year-in-Review
*For a
full copy of all the Federal and State Affairs Round Up, please
download: Your
Dues At Work.
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