Why is it important to meet with legislators?

As Speaker Tip O'Neil once said: "All politics is local." Legislators are elected by their constituents - the people that work, live, and raise families in their legislative district. Legislators care about the issues impacting their constituents, so it is your civic duty to build a relationship with your elected officials and keep them up to date on issues impacting the mortgage industry. By participating in CAMP's In-District Lobby Day, you will begin to establish a relationship, and the invaluable connections that you will build with legislators and their staff will be beneficial for years to come. When mortgage-related issues land on their desk, they will call on you as an expert in the field (or they will already know about it because you've kept them up to date on the issues).

How do I participate in CAMP's In-District Lobby Day?

The best part about an in-district lobby day is that you only have to travel as far as your legislator's district office! CAMP is encouraging all members to schedule meetings with their legislators. Follow the steps below to schedule your meeting. If you have any questions, email info@thecampsite.org. 

1. Download and print THE EVENT WORKSHEET. Enter your contact information. Save a copy of this as you will be updating it throughout the process.
2. Choose three days/times that work for you to meet. 
3. Look up your Legislators HERE. Fill in their information on the event worksheet in field 2.
4. Visit THIS SPREADSHEET (view only). Is anyone already visiting your legislator(s)? If so, email them to coordinate the meeting. A small group is impactful.
5. If no one is already meeting with your legislator, download THIS MEETING REQUEST TEMPLATE. Complete accordingly. Refer to the EVENT WORKSHEET and locate the district phone number. Call the district office and relay the following: "Good day, I am a [INSERT TITLE, i.e., Loan Originator] and constituent of [LEGISLATOR'S NAME] and I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss legislation impacting the mortgage industry. Do you prefer that I email or fax a request or may I request a meeting over the phone?"
   
6. Depending on the response, either: 1) Request the meeting over the phone by offering the dates you are available, or 2) submit a request as instructed. If asked, below is the legislation you will be discussing (those are not the talking points, you will download them in a later step).
7. Once the meeting day/time is confirmed, add the information to your event worksheet and then return to THIS FORM and fill in the meeting information.
8. Download THESE TALKING POINTS FOR 2023 to prepare for the meeting (the talking points include a script). Download and print multiple copies of THIS LEAVE BEHIND FOR 2023 document, which you will bring to the meeting to provide to the legislator and her/his staff.
1. Prepare for your meeting by WATCHING THIS VIDEO and reading these MEETING DO'S AND DON'TS.
2. Hold a pre-meeting with your meeting participants to discuss roles (i.e., Bill will cover SB 2, Ron will cover AB 71 and Michelle will talk about the housing crisis generally.)
3. Reach out to CAMP State if you have any questions.
9. Hold the meeting. Once the meeting is complete, fill out THIS SURVEY to report back to the Government Affairs committee about the meeting.

Regulatory Corner

• CAMP worked hard on behalf of members to get clarification from the CA Bureau of Real Estate around how TRID impacts MLDS requirements.  The BRE issued a statement on Mortgage Loan Disclosure Statement, which you can read here. The bottom line from the BRE: under TRID, the "Loan Estimate" replaces the MLDS and as long as it is signed by the borrower, it meets the requirements of law. Have questions? Contact the BRE: (916) 263-8941.

Legislative Calendars

CA Legislative Calendar

House Calendar

Senate Calendar