The Advocate – HAA CEO Casey Morgan discusses the importance of public policy and political engagement for the apartment industry.

TheAdvocate

HAA CEO Casey Morgan discusses the importance of public policy and political engagement for the multifamily industry.

Casey Morgan, the CEO of the Houston Apartment Association, has been involved professionally in government advocacy for many years. Her government affairs career journey started after she graduated from the Baylor University and took a position working on Capitol Hill for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Later, Casey went on to work at the White House for former President George W. Bush. After receiving many opportunities to see public policy work behind the scenes, she became hooked.

For this month’s issue of ABODE, we sat down with Casey and asked her questions about HAA and its involvement with political advocacy.

How would you describe effective advocacy efforts for the industry?

Effective advocacy means creating engaging and transparent efforts. It is so important to have members involved directly with our elected officials. Our government affairs staff are here to facilitate these conversations so that members can convey messages to these elected officials. Our advocacy efforts are only as good as the membership we are a part of, so it is imperative that staff provide opportunities for the members to be directly engaged.

Help explain HAA's role in advocacy on the local, state and national levels?

HAA is most involved at the local level. We work directly with Justices of the Peace, Judges, Constables, Mayors, Council Members, etc. Our partnership with the Texas Apartment Association touches our state legislative delegation, and while that partnership is very important, it's also important for those elected officials that work in Austin to know we're their Houston base and that we represent all their constituents in the region. That type of working relationship also applies to the national level. This is key because there can sometimes be a disconnect between a local area and Washington D.C. Bridging that gap is important for any trade association because it is critical for our federal delegation to understand how their policies affect constituents and businesses in their in their districts.

How does HAA’s Government Affairs team help defend the industry against bad legislation?

Advocacy is hard to quantify. One of the reasons it's hard to quantify is because if we do our jobs, and we prevent adverse legislation, regulations, or ordinances from going into effect, we ultimately can’t measure what they would have done. However, we must still defend the industry from those adverse regulations or legislation, and we have to do that on the front end. Education is key. We must meet with elected officials before they enact those policies so that they can understand all the unintended consequences of what they're about to implement. Elected officials simply cannot be the subject matter experts on every issue, so it is imperative for the industry to educate.

How do we relay the message of regulation changes to our members?

We relay this message through education and information dissemination. It's all about transparency, but also about providing what can sometimes be a complicated message, in a very digestible way. Any government affairs professional needs to be able to give an “elevator speech,” which is a short explanation on a regulation, or a particular act of legislation, in 20 seconds or less, equivalent to an elevator ride! It is important for our members to have a government affairs team that possesses the skillset to take something that has many complex layers, condense it to a digestible message, and then send that out to the membership for wide consumption.

What new changes can we expect in the upcoming months?

One activity we're anticipating in the next few months is the legislative session. The session will start in January, so we need to begin working with our state delegation now to promote the TAA legislative agenda.

There are also county wide elections coming up in November. Based on that outcome, we will need to be prepared to educate possibly new elected officials that will take office in January.

The City of Houston is also facing major elections at the end of next year. As the current terms for mayor and city council members draw to a close, we will look for opportunities to work with them, continuing our working relationship as an industry resource.

Explain the role of the HAA Political Action Committee and why this political involvement is important?

Political advocacy is critical because the PAC enables active members to get to know prospective elected officials. This allows members to connect with them on an individual basis while they are still candidates, and as you can imagine, that is when they are most open to feedback. It also gives us a great educational opportunity to share information about the industry, market trends, and concerns about possible industry challenges. They can digest that information before they are elected to office and use it later to inform their policy decisions. If members are not involved in that type of advocacy, we really miss a great opportunity to make a lasting impression. I would encourage any member who is interested in becoming more involved with the HAA PAC to contact the government affairs staff.

Overall, why is it important for members to care about government affairs advocacy and to participate in the organization’s political efforts?

It is important to be relevant, and your relevance is only demonstrated by your actual presence. I wish I could take credit for this quote, but it is often said, “if you’re not at the table, you're on the menu.” So, if you are not working with regulators or elected officials, or you are not somehow represented at the table, your industry will be on the menu. Government affairs staff members can provide some of that information, but it is much more compelling for members of the industry to convey those messages directly.