Wisconsin REALTORS® Association: It Is Personal. Advocacy in Action.

It Is Personal. Advocacy in Action.

 Cori Lamont, WRA Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs  |    March 03, 2025
RGD

REALTOR® & Government Day (RGD) isn’t about politics — it’s about policies that shape your business, impact your transactions and protect private property rights. It’s about the issues that matter to you, your clients and your customers. RGD is about taking action to ensure real estate and property rights thrive in Wisconsin. It is personal.

For more than 40 years, Wisconsin REALTORS® have come together — regardless of political affiliation — to make their voices heard. On this one day, you step inside the state Capitol, not just as a REALTOR®, but as an advocate for your business and the future of real estate.

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What is RGD?

RGD is the WRA’s annual legislative advocacy event, offering Wisconsin REALTORS® the opportunity to meet in person with state lawmakers in Madison. RGD creates a unique space for Wisconsin legislators to hear directly from REALTORS® about key issues affecting the real estate industry. 

Why does RGD matter?

Every day, state legislators hear from lobbyists and special interest groups. But nothing resonates more than real stories from real people — like you. Your experiences bring the policies to life. You see the challenges firsthand: low housing inventory, high property taxes, regulatory obstacles. Lawmakers need to hear what these issues mean for Wisconsin buyers, sellers and communities.

Is RGD about politics?

No. RGD is about policy; policy that impacts your transactions, your clients and your ability to do business. It’s about protecting private property rights and advocating for solutions that make homeownership more accessible.

Why should you attend?

Because it’s personal. No one can tell your story better than you. While the WRA advocacy team works year-round to advance REALTOR® priorities, nothing is more powerful than personal experience. The conversations you have with lawmakers can lead to real legislative change.

RGD gives you the platform to speak directly with elected officials about the challenges you and your clients face — because when you make it personal, they listen.

Which issues will you advocate for at RGD?

At every RGD, the WRA advocacy team arms you with the latest legislative priorities, briefing materials and key talking points. But the most important part? You.

At the 2025 RGD, you’ll advocate for critical real estate policies, including budget priorities and legislative initiatives that directly impact Wisconsin’s housing market.

Increasing housing supply

In 2023, Wisconsin created a path to increase workforce and senior housing statewide. Three loan programs played a key role in developing and rehabilitating these housing options.

  • Infrastructure access loan ($275 million): 2023 Wis. Act 14 paved the way to allow residential developers to apply for loans to cover costs of installing, replacing, upgrading or improving public infrastructure related to workforce housing or senior housing
  • Restore main street loan ($100 million): 2023 Wis. Act 15 proposed to allow rental property owners to apply for loans to cover costs of improving housing located on the second or third floors of existing buildings with commercial spaces on the ground level
  • Vacancy-to-vitality loan ($100 million): 2023 Wis. Act 18 set forth the groundwork to allow developers to apply for loans to cover costs of converting vacant commercial buildings into workforce housing or senior housing.

As the administrator, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) has implemented the loans. However, it became clear that the loans could be modified to make the funds more accessible to developers and municipalities. A coalition of organizations, including the WRA, local governments and WHEDA, are working on those modifications. 

Property taxes

The WRA will focus on maintaining the property tax levy freeze, as property taxes are the largest tax burden in Wisconsin. In fact, Wisconsin has one of the highest property tax rates in the country.

  • Property taxes affect the affordability of homes and the profitability of businesses. As property taxes increase, job growth and the affordability of homeownership in Wisconsin decreases
  • Currently, Wisconsinites are having difficulty affording their homes. Among midwestern states, Wisconsin has the second-highest percentage of homeowners across all income levels who pay more than half of their income for housing. The only state that ranks worse is Illinois
  • Unfortunately, Wisconsin relies too heavily on property taxes to fund local governments, schools and technical colleges.
  • Since 2011, Wisconsin has successfully controlled property tax increases by placing strict levy limits on municipalities and counties. Prior to this time, property taxes on a typical home increased by approximately 27% in the prior decade, with some annual increases reaching 4% to 5%.
  • For the last decade, Wisconsin lawmakers have saved Wisconsin property owners more than $12 billion by maintaining the strict levy limit, ensuring that only voters can approve property tax increases through referenda.
  • However, even after these measures, property taxes in Wisconsin remain too high, and Wisconsin relies too heavily on the property tax to fund local units of government. While alternative revenue sources are explored and discussed by the legislature, the local property tax levy limits must remain.

Does RGD really make a difference?

Without a doubt, having hundreds of REALTORS® in the Capitol advocating for issues creates a positive return on the WRA’s legislative priorities.

Over the last 40 years, Wisconsin REALTORS® have advocated for a variety of issues relating to the Wisconsin state budget, such as opposing the doubling of the Wisconsin transfer tax and supporting a property tax cap. 

In the last 10 years alone, the following are just some of the issues that were on the RGD issues agenda: 

  • Property taxes
  • Condition reports
  • Piers
  • Right to rent
  • Nonconforming structures
  • Broker experience requirements
  • Appraisal management companies (AMCs)
  • Vested rights
  • Real estate licensee two-year statute of limitations on liability
  • Codifying the Dinger case
  • Time of sale requirements
  • Broadband expansion
  • Housing affordability
  • Wetland regulatory reform
  • Modernization of landlord tenant laws
  • DSPS website upgrades
  • Seller surveillance
  • Right to place a pier
  • Improving inspection reports
  • Chasing sales
  • Increasing the workforce housing supply

All of these issues were passed into law or defeated, thanks to your involvement at RGD. Learn more about the WRA’s legislative victories since 2012.

RGD is your chance to make a difference. Show up. Speak up. Be the reason real estate moves forward in Wisconsin. Show up and make it personal

At a glance: the Wisconsin state budget process

Every odd year, the state establishes its two-year budget that runs July 1 to June 30 of the next odd-numbered year. 

Briefly, the process is as follows:

  • State agencies submit their budget requests in the fall of an even-numbered year to the Department of Administration (DOA).
  • The governor reviews the requests and prepares a budget proposal.
  • The governor introduces the budget proposal, known as the executive budget, to the legislature.
  • The Joint Committee on Finance, which is comprised of eight Senators and eight Representatives, reviews the budget proposal, while the Wisconsin Legislature reviews, changes and approves the budget bill. 
  • The governor signs the budget bill and delivers it to the legislature. 

The legislature may choose not to use the governor’s proposed budget and present its own. Regardless of the path taken, the WRA is working to ensure property taxes do not increase and property rights are protected.

Event details and registration

APRIL 17, 2025  I  FREE REGISTRATION
MONONA TERRACE AND THE STATE CAPITOL

When you attend RGD, you can let your state lawmakers know what impacts your business, your clients and property rights. And after your visit to the Capitol, enjoy complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres with your fellow REALTORS®. 

Attend and be eligible for CE credit

When you attend RGD 2025, you can earn one hour of CE credit for the 2025-26 Wisconsin real estate biennium. Simply attend RGD and complete and pass the CE course exam provided at the event to earn one hour of CE credit.

Event agenda

  • 12:30 p.m. Registration desk open
  • 1:00 p.m. Welcome
  • 1:15 p.m. Guest speaker (Gov. Evers invited to attend)
  • 1:40 p.m. WRA advocacy issues briefing
  • 3:00 p.m. Move to Capitol
  • 3:15 p.m. Capitol office visits
  • 4:30 p.m. Reception

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