Naiop offers a voice for CRE at the annual meeting of the Democratic legislative campaign committee

By Jack Hargrove

Dozens of Democratic state laws from the United States met in San Diego, California, 28-30 July for the annual meeting of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the fundraising organization of the Democratic Party for Steenswevers. The meeting contained 25 states, 65 legislators and 38 members of parliamentary leadership. The State Team of Naiop Corporate and the local government affairs attended this conference to inform the legislators of the Democratic State about issues that influence commercial real estate.

Every year, DLCC leadership, prominent state laws and business member organizations such as Naiop collect to discuss leading issues and to give updates on legislative companies from all over the country. Naiop’s presence at events such as this is an important element to help our priorities and brand promote legislative leaders from many states. As an example, the current DLCC chairman, who attended the annual meeting, is the New York Senate President Pro Tempore and majority leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The following states with NAIOP chapters had members of the leadership of their legislative power at the conference:

The state team of the state and local government affairs had the opportunity to speak with many of these legislators on two nights of dinners and receptions, and started to enter into relationships with important members of the state laws

There are many problems with which commercial real estate is confronted at the state and local level in 2025, including policy discussed and passed on by the legislators of Blue State. For example, one legislative priority for NAIOP is electrification mandates and building performance this year, policy that mainly exists in blue states. Another priority was to stop rental control, which has been a subject in blue states such as Washington. And reform of the environment, a consistent dual legislative priority, is located in the center of discussion in large blue states such as California, which have just made major changes to the California Environmental Quality Act as part of its budget earlier this year. Thanks to this existing list of legislative priorities by the state, the State Team of National and Local Public Affairs of Naiop allowed Blue State legislers about specific issues that confronts commercial real estate in their states.

This year the chapters of Naiop have been attended or will attend for days in the state of Capitol in five states where at least one room of the state legislator is controlled by Democrats: California, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Washington. Moreover, the days of Naiop in the Capitol in the Republican controlled state laws such as North Carolina, Ohio and Utah still give valuable conversations with democratic legislators who are in the minority. The DLCC annual conference offers the possibility to further establish relationships and name recognition with national legislators to ensure that days in the state capitol are as productive as possible.

The DLCC year meeting 2025 ended with a panel of legislators who discussed their sessions from this year. Immediately heard of these legislators is of vital importance to keep track of trends and to predict the direction that state laws will assume issues that influence commercial real estate. Naiop Corporate continues to be present at events such as these to keep Naiop fresh in the heads of many state laws at the same time that leads the following year. Many of the chapters of Naiop, as well as part of the policy that is most relevant to the interests of commercial real estate, are in blue states, so the presence of Naiop at the annual DLCC annual meeting 2025 means that commercial real estate has a voice.