NAR Approved Membership RequirementsC.A.R. requested NAR to tighten REALTOR® membership requirements to allow Associations to exclude from membership those licensees who had been convicted of serious crimes.  NAR, at their mid-yearmeetings, approved an addition to it’s membership requirements to allow Associations of REALTORS®  to consider – for both principals and non-principals:“criminal convictions if:     (1) the crime was punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year under the law under which the applicant was convicted; and     (2) no more than ten years have elapsedsince the date of the conviction or the release of the applicant from the confinement imposed for that conviction, whichever is the later date.”This change is effective January 1, 2008, and is optional for your Association.  If your Association wishes to adopt the more stringent membership requirement, since it is not a mandatory change from NAR, you will need to have the amendment to your own bylaws approved by your general membership.  The language to do so will be added to the C.A.R. Model Bylaws and provided to you before the January 1 implementation date.