gregoire? >> well, that's -- thank you again. unlike some of the discussion here concerning geographic competency, i don't believe that geographic competency is determined solely by the appraiser's proximity to the property that's being appraised. geographic competency is determined by the appraiser's knowledge of a particular market or knowledge of a particular neighborhood or particular location. it's also determined by the appraiser's knowledge of a particular property type. and competency can be -- it's not absolutely positively necessary at the time the appraiser accepts the assignment as long as the appraiser takes the steps necessary to acquire the competency. you don't acquire competency in a manner of minutes or hours. and i believe that appraisers are fully capable of gaining necessary competence if they're given the appropriate and the necessary time to spend in a market, interview the folks necessary to gather market information, and given the time necessary to appropriately complete the appraisal report. >> but even

gregoire? >> the national association of realtors does not have a specific policy related to your question. however, unlike a lot of other federal agencies, the asc operates without an appropriation. they operate on an appraiser tax, so they don't have the flexibility or the funds to move in the same way that a lot of federal agencies do. and i believe that has to be taken into account. the folks that are funding the operation of the appraisal subcommittee are actual licensed and certified appraisers, and as mr. park testified, that number of folks is diminishing. >> thank you. mr. kelly? >> thank you. we would like to see the asc move a little quicker. as i testified, states are

we want to recognize washington governor chris gregoire. i was honored to serve as her vice chair. she hit the ground running when she joined us, bringing her passion, energy, and talent to bring the association's profile and representing the interest of states. during her tenure as the chief executive of her state, she has served with distinction on six committees and five task forces. several of her contributions merit special recognition, including her service as chair of this organization in 2010 and 2011. she has been integral in solidifying the authority of states in responding to national disasters -- natural disasters and emergencies. because of her leadership and determination, the governors have been successful in securing bowl status command and preserving funding for continuing the critical mission of protecting americans at home and abroad. we will bring -- we will miss chris. they must be out there doing something -- we know that great opportunities lie ahead for this governor. chris, if you would come forward, i would like to present a token of our appreciation i. [a

finally, we want to recognize the washington governor, governor gregoire. she hit the ground running when she joined the nga, bringing her passion an immense talent to raising the association's profile case during her tenure as the chief executive of first state, she has served with distinction on six committees and five task forces. several of her contributions merit special recognition, including her service as chair of this organization in 2010 and 2011. as consular of governor's co- chair, she has been instrumental in solidifying the authority of the states to responding to national emergencies. it is in large part to her leadership and determination that governors have been successful in securing dual status command and preserving funding for the air national guard to continue their critical mission of protecting americans at home and abroad. we will miss her and the first gentleman, mike. we know that great opportunities lie ahead for this government the and -- governor and the first family of washington. he will come up, we would like to express our