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June 27, 2003
Dear TLTA Member:
I would like to express my
appreciation to all who attended the Annual Conference at The
Woodlands Resort earlier this month. I've heard many of you
comment on the excellent educational programs that were offered,
as well as the outstanding line-up of social events and speakers.
If you didn't attend the conference this year, it's going to be "Smooth
Sailing" in
Corpus Christi
next year. Our excellent staff is already planning another stellar
event, so mark your calendars for
June 4-6, 2004
.
I would also like to thank Jack Rattikin III for his vision and
leadership during his year as president. Thanks to Jack and our
Board of Directors, a solid foundation has been established that
we can build on in 2003-2004. As I developed a list of items I
felt we needed to continue to focus on in the coming year, I
thought of three major areas: UNITY, INCLUSIVENESS, and ENHANCED
COMMUNICATION.
One of the initiatives that
our Board of Directors has already approved and will be introduced
this fall is the Individual Membership level. This level of
membership reinforces our efforts to reach out to employees of
TLTA member companies and will provide benefits and information at
a minimal cost for each person. By adding this level of membership
we will provide more direct access to our programs and resources
to more people who work in the industry. By creating an
environment that allows for more participation we will increase
awareness of the issues facing our industry and enhance our
members' commitment to their profession. Last but not least,
TLTA's membership profile will more accurately reflect the total
number of people we represent.
Some of the major issues we
will be facing this year include RESPA reform, the proposed rebate
rule, and continuing discussions regarding P-24. We will also be
involved in rate and rule hearings during the fall and winter
months. As in the past, we will have our usual excellent
professional representation from Tom Rutledge, TLTA Counsel, and
members of the Rates, Rules and Forms committee and related task
forces.
TLTA was represented by eight members who flew to Washington D. C.
June 18-20 to meet with
U. S.
Senators and Congressmen about our objections to proposed RESPA
reforms. Many thanks to Jack Rogers, Jack Rattikin III, Parker
Neel, Allen Shindler, Celia Flowers, Jeff Davis and Dawn Moore for
taking time from their busy schedules to assist us in this effort,
and to Mindy Carr, TLTA Government Affairs Director, and Jim
Hyland, Piper Rudnick, our representative in D.C., for their
assistance in arranging these meetings. We met directly with the
Chief of Staff to HUD Secretary Mel Martinez and White House
Cabinet Affairs staff. Additionally, we had the opportunity to
meet with our Texas U. S. Senators, eight
U.S.
Congressmen, the Chairman of the House Small Business Committee,
aides of the House Majority Leader, aides to the Chairman of the
Senate Banking Committee, and aides to the Chairman of the House
Financial Services Committee. We feel our meetings were very
successful in light of the feedback we received. An in-depth
report of our meetings will be provided by
Mindy Carr
in an upcoming Dateline
Austin
.
We will continue to seek your input on P-24 and the proposed
rebate rule as TLTA leadership works to define a position that is
acceptable to the majority of our members. We will keep you
informed of further developments on both of these issues.
In closing, I would like to
ask for your continued support and involvement as I begin my year
as TLTA President. As we address the important issues that will
shape the future of our industry and our profession let us do so
together, with strength, cohesiveness and representation from all
levels of our profession. I welcome your comments and look forward
to working with you in the coming year.
Best regards,
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