With just hours left in 2020, CAI’s Government and Public Affairs team would like to thank its Legislative Action Committees (LACs), volunteer advocates, and our members who continually supported and advocated on behalf of the 73.5 million Americans living in community associations. As this housing model continues to grow, we predict the need for greater advocacy efforts in 2021.
Community association advocates faced extraordinary challenges when the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in early March and affected the 46 state legislatures that were in session. Our LAC members and advocates quickly pivoted from in-person meetings with legislators and lobbyists to virtual conference calls and hearings, as well as electronic communications with stakeholders.
The legislative issues that the LACs anticipated in 2020—including installation of solar panels and electric vehicle charging stations, misrepresentation of service animals, and insurance deductibles—rapidly changed to COVID-19-related issues impacting the community association housing model. These included limited liability for associations, emergency powers for boards of directors, foreclosure moratoriums, virtual meetings, and electronic voting.
This year also saw record-breaking engagement that allowed CAI members and advocates of the community association housing model across the country to be heard. More than 600 LAC members tracked more than 2,000 bills at the state level by the end of 2020, an increase from 1,500 in 2019. In addition, more than 24,800 CAI advocates sent over 116,500 call to action emails to their respective state and federal legislators advocating for issues impacting their communities.
Thank you all for your advocacy efforts in 2020! All 50 states will convene their legislative session in 2021, and our team looks forward to continuing to track legislation that impacts the community association housing model and advocate on behalf of CAI’s more than 41,000 members.
If you are not registered as a CAI advocate, please do so today!
