The legislatures in 30 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands are currently in session. The Appraisal Institute’s Washington office continues to work with its chapters, regions and state coalitions to help shape public policy affecting AI professionals and the valuation profession.

• Colorado is considering HB 1216, legislation that would extend its Board of Real Estate Appraisers for nine years, and would also authorize appraisers to perform evaluations. 
• Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is reviewing HB 1097, a measure that would create a task force on property appraisal and valuation equity to study the undervaluation of and valuation errors with property owned by minorities. 
• Minnesota is considering HF 3784 and SF 3503, companion bills that would enable appraisers to receive continuing education credit for classroom and synchronous distance education completed out of state when the offering has not been approved by the Minnesota Department of Commerce but is approved by appraiser regulators in at least one other state. The bills also would authorize appraisers to complete minimum damage acquisition assignments, known as MDAs, which in Minnesota are akin to valuation waivers that are authorized in federal regulations for obtaining the value of low-dollar-value parcels being acquired through eminent domain. 
• New Jersey is considering AB 1518 and AB 1519, legislation that would reemphasize the fact that appraisers are prohibited by law from engaging in discrimination on the basis of a buyer’s or seller’s race, creed, color or national origin. It also would require appraisers to provide a property seller with a document informing them on how to report an appraisal they believe to be discriminatory. A similar document would be provided by brokers and salespersons to property buyers. 
• North Carolina is nearing completion of rulemaking that would adopt PAREA, allow aspiring appraisers to take their first 75 hours of qualifying education online rather than in a classroom and reduce the minimum length of a continuing education offering from three-and-half hours to the Appraiser Qualifications Board minimum of two hours. It also would reduce by half the number of assignments (from 50 to 25) or experience hours (1,500 to 750) where a supervisor must accompany a trainee during an inspection. Additionally, it would allow trainees who are authorized to perform solo inspections to do so on properties farther than 50 miles from the supervisor’s office; currently they must be accompanied by a supervisor on assignments outside a 50-mile radius. Lastly, the rules would implement the AQB’s latest changes regarding distance education. 
• South Dakota is considering a set of rules that involve the adoption of PAREA and implementation of an experience training program that provides an alternative path for trainees to obtain their required appraisal experience while working under the supervision of a state-employed lead trainer. The proposed rules also would create a NFRT License that would allow a licensee to perform appraisals in instances where a state-licensed or certified appraiser is required — except for federally related transactions. Appraisals completed by a NFRT-licensed appraiser could not be used for experience credit to become licensed or certified. Appraisals for which an applicant wishes to receive experience hours must be performed while the applicant is a state-registered appraiser working with a supervisor.