Key reports, issues, and decisions of interest to licensees and/or the public are reported here from the most recent Commission meeting:
Pending Cases: The Commission entered into consent agreements to suspend three licenses; reprimanded five licensees; closed its case without action against two licensees; permanently revoked one license; and ordered hearings in cases involving two licensees.
License Applications Involving Character Issues: License applicants who have character issues such as prior criminal convictions or disciplinary action by another licensing board are separately considered by the Commission. Decisions are made based upon criminal background checks, information supplied by the applicant, and in-person interviews.
Total candidates considered: 29; total approved: 18.
License Examination Results: A summary of key data relating to persons taking the exam for the first time is provided below:
Individuals Tested for the First Time | ||||
Took prelicense course | Hold license from another state | |||
June 2020 | July 2019 through June 2020 | June 2020 | July 2019 through June 2020 | |
# Tested | 956 | 6741 | 17 | 205 |
% Pass both sections | 39% | 52% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass National section | 72% | 85% | N/A | N/A |
% Pass State section | 40% | 53% | 41% | 35% |
Legislative Report: The Commission reviewed the Legislative Report. While General Assembly is not currently in session, it plans to reconvene in early September. Its committees are meeting in the meantime; staff will continue to monitor the progress of bills of interest.
Proposed Rule Text for Distance and Synchronous Learning Standards: The Commission reviewed the text for proposed amendments to Commission rules setting out distance and synchronous learning standards. The draft rules will be placed on the Commission’s August meeting agenda for a vote on whether to proceed with the rulemaking process.
Protocol for Communications Directly to Commission Members: The Commission reviewed the protocol for responding to communications from licensees and/or complainants relating to pending complaints before the Commission. Noting the potential for the Commission members to act as the decision makers in the case, it was suggested that they advise the persons involved that by contacting members and providing them with information outside the established process, they may limit the members’ ability to participate in any decisions about the matter. In order to conduct business in an impartial manner, Commission members must refrain from any dialog with the parties outside the established meeting and
hearing procedures.
Progress of Renewals and Reinstatements: Staff reported that as of July 1, 2020, 92% of licensees had renewed their licenses, a percentage that is in line with the three prior renewal seasons. The Commission was reminded that licensees who fail to renew by June 30 may reinstate their licenses until December 30. It was also reported that by July 15, 2020, 94% of individual licensees had renewed or reinstated their licenses, along with 95% of firms and 83% of limited nonresident commercial licensees.
Report on Instructor, School, and Sponsor Renewals and Transition: The Commission reviewed the report on instructor, school, and sponsor renewals. Under its new rules effective July 1, 2020, 210 instructors, schools, and/or sponsors renewed and are now “education providers” authorized to deliver prelicensing, postlicensing, and/or continuing education courses during the 2020-2021 license year.
CE Student Survey Report FY2020-2021: The Commission reviewed the results of surveys of CE students conducted throughout the year. The results show a high level of broker satisfaction with both elective and Update courses as well as the Broker-in-Charge Course.
Scholarship Application Selections: The Commission voted to meet in closed session pursuant to NCGS § 143-318.11(a)(2) to review applications and select a scholarship recipient. The Commission subsequently came out of closed session and announced the award of scholarships to Kathryn Diamond and Quanta Monique Edwards. Both scholarships were created in honor of Phillip T. Fisher, former Executive Director of the Commission.
Further Extension of Continuing Education Deadline: The Education Committee suggested that the Commission consider, but made no recommendation about, whether to further extend the deadline for licensees to complete their annual continuing education (CE) requirement. The current deadline is September 30, 2020. The Commission was advised that 11,381 licensees still needed continuing education for the 2019-2020 CE period as of June 30, 2020. Of those, 2,082 have broker-in-charge status and an additional 513 are broker-in-charge eligible. It was noted that there are a number of online CE courses available, and a few live courses are scheduled for the future. Staff recommended that if the Commission was
inclined to further extend the deadline, that the deadline be set at June 10, 2021. The Commission voted to keep the CE deadline at September 30, 2020.
Report on License Numbers: As of July 1, 2020, there are 105,760 brokers and firms licensed by the Commission, as follows: