What does RPAC stand for? Realtors Political Action Committee.
What does RPAC do? RPAC funds are used by the local, state and national associations to help elect candidates who are “Realtor Champions” and it goes to protect private property rights.
What happens to the funds after I contribute to RPAC? All RPAC contributions are sent to the Indiana Association of REALTORS® (IAR) for processing. The contribution is split 3 ways between the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), the Indiana Association (IAR) and the local board. The State Association retains the RPAC funds on behalf of the local Board. The board has a three year window to use the funds. If the local funds are not used within a three year time frame the funds revert back to the Indiana Association of REALTORS®. RPAC contributions can only be used to support a candidate or an issue.
Who Decides How the RPAC Funds are Used? The process is the same on the National, State and Local level. Each association appoints a number of RPAC Trustees who decide how the funds are distributed. The ECBOR Board President appoints 5 to 7 members to serve RPAC Trustees. RPAC Trustees must agree to follow the policy approved by the board including making bi-partisan decisions when approving funding.
Do the Trustees have any guidelines? Yes, ECBOR has written policies that govern the Trustees. Each Trustee must sign a statement agreeing to work within the policies adopted by the Board of Directors. The Trustees decide which candidates will receive funding and how much or what issue to support.
How does a local Candidate Request Support? The Trustees decide which offices will be considered for funding. The candidates that won the primary race in the “approved” offices will receive an application for funding. If a candidate is interested in being considered for support, they will complete the application and return it to the Trustees for consideration. The trustees review the applications and may request interviews. After the interview is over, the Trustees will decide which candidates should be funded and how much. The funding request must be signed by 3 Trustees and submitted to IAR. IAR will issue a check for the Trustees to deliver t the candidates. The candidates are then notified of the trustee’s decision. Candidates who receive funding do not automatically receive a public endorsement. The Trustees make that decision on an individual basis. The names of the candidates are submitted to the Board of Directors and then printed in the newsletter.
How do they support an Issue? The Trustees may also decide to spend RPAC funds to support or defeat a specific issue. This can be used when the board needs to bring member or public attention to an issue that may be restricting private property rights or adding unnecessary regulation or taxes etc.
I can personally attest that donating to RPAC is effective and does bring real estate industry issues to the forefront of the political arena. The REALTOR® organization is well respected on all levels of government as well as globally. RPAC dollars help protect private property rights as well as our ability to earn a living in the real estate industry. The bottom line is that RPAC is not without its flaws but it does benefit all REALTOR® members and private property owners not just those who contribute. If you do not contribute, you should be grateful to the members and Affiliates who do support RPAC.
Julie Alert Association Executive
Elkhart County Board of REALTORS®