| The Legislature was in spring break mode last week and not very much happened. That time is when Floor leaders in both chambers have traditionally used the week to assign measures to committees and allow members to breathe after a crazy deadline week. The House and Senate floor work was reduced to Monday through Wednesday with no bills being heard. After the March 18th deadline there are 921 live House and Senate Bills still moving. Of that number, OAR is actively tracking 46 measures. |
| Of those 46 measures still working their way through the legislative process, OAR Government Affairs committee has taken positions as follows: 10 Bills being supported 2 Bills being opposed 34 Bills being monitored Bills Being Supported HB 1148: The Predatory Wholesaler Prohibition Act The bill clarifies who may market for sale an equitable interest in a contract for the purchase of real property between the property owner and a prospective purchaser. The bill is important in clarifying that publicly marketing for sale an equitable interest in a contract for the purchase of real property between a property owner and a prospective purchaser requires the entity of a real estate licensee. This includes any person, partnership, trust, association or corporation, or the partners, officers or employees of any partnership, trust, association, or corporation. HB 2009 raises the annual income qualification limit to $25,000 for the additional homestead tax exemption and exempts federal COVID-19 stimulus relief payments from calculations related to the exemption. HB 1062 extends the homestead tax exemption to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses when such persons occupy improvements which are affixed to real property held by municipalities. HB 1081 extends the sunset of the Real Estate Commission. HB 2326 modifies requirements of certain members of the Abstractors Board to require that they are licensed abstractors who have held licenses for at least five years and imposes term limits and adjusts moral turpitude standards in licensing. HB 2500 modifies requirements of certain members of the Abstractors Board to require that they are licensed abstractors who have held licenses for at least five years. HB 2501 permits authorized agents of persons purchasing property to request possession of the abstract designated for that property. SB 277 permits municipal governments to collect and confidentially store certain property ownership and contact information for notice purposes related to public nuisance. SB 758 allows the Real Estate Appraiser Board to employ a Director to oversee operations and to ensure compliance of promulgated rules with the Insurance Dept. to provide certain administrative support and office space. SB 838 creates the Public Safety Protection District Act which allows municipalities to create public safety protection districts and provide additional municipal funding to law enforcement and fire services. Both the House and Senate now have until April 8th to move bills through committee in the opposite chamber; and bills assigned to the Appropriations and Budget Committees have until April 16th. Bills that survive the committee process will have until April 22nd to be heard on the floor of the opposite chamber. |