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Ross legislation headed to governor's desk
Property
owner protection measure receives unanimous vote
The first bill introduced by
Rep. Charles Ross to clear both chambers of the Legislature is a
measure that would clarify what happens to proceeds when a county
treasurer forecloses on property because of unpaid irrigation district
assessments, and the property is sold.
"Public safety is my top
priority as a lawmaker, but watching out for property owners and
taxpayers is right up there too, and
House Bill 1972
is about protecting property owners," said Ross, R-Naches. "It would
bring the irrigation district statute into line with real estate law,
which is important to people who find themselves dealing with this kind
of foreclosure."
Under HB 1972, any
proceeds exceeding the amounts owed for delinquent assessments and other
specified assessments, costs and interest, would go to the person who
owned the property at the time of the delinquency.
It was approved
unanimously Tuesday by the state Senate, nearly a month after a
unanimous vote of support in the House of Representatives. Measures
signed by the governor at this point in the session that do not contain
an emergency clause take effect 90 days after the session adjourns.
Ross has introduced seven
pieces of policy legislation and co-sponsored nearly 50 other policy
measures in his first legislative session as a 14th District state
representative.
Ross voted Tuesday to pass
the Senate companion bill to a House anti-gang measure he co-sponsored.
Senate Bill 5987, introduced by 14th District Sen. Jim Clements, was
approved by the Senate as a bill that would supply law enforcement and
prosecutors with new tools to target and combat the activities of
criminal gangs, which are on the rise.
However, a majority of the
House public safety committee members amended SB 5987 to become a work
group bill, and that's how it was passed on the floor of the House.
There is precedent for the change, explained Ross, who serves on the
public safety committee, as the auto theft bill moving through the
Legislature (House Bill 1001) was the product of a work group. SB 5987
must now go back to the Senate for concurrence. # # #
Contact: Rep. Ross, (360) 786-7856
Eric Campbell, House Republican Communications, (360) 786-7720
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