Rep. Cody Maynard
Now that the third-reading deadline has passed for legislation from its chamber of origin, all surviving measures have advanced to the opposite chamber for consideration. The House sent 440 measures to the Senate, and that body sent 321 measures to the House.
We’ve begun hearing Senate bills in our House policy and Appropriations & Budget (A&B) subcommittees. Once they pass this initial stage, they advance to oversight committees and to full A&B and then to the House floor.
Those measures that pass in the opposite chamber with title on and no amendments may be sent to the governor for his consideration of signing them into law. If the title is off of a bill, or it is amended in the opposite chamber, it must return to its chamber of origin for final passage before moving to the governor.
As we start the second half of session, I will be running Senate Bill 877 which addresses a growing problem across the country – deed theft. Criminals have become increasingly crafty, and deed theft is a type of fraud where someone illegally takes ownership of a home by forging documents to transfer the property title — often without the homeowner ever knowing. Criminals may steal someone’s identity or create fake signatures to file false deeds with the county clerk’s office. Once they have the title, they can try to sell the home or take out loans against it.
Senate Bill 877 is important because it would help prevent this kind of theft by requiring real estate brokers to complete training on how to spot it — and by making sure homebuyers are informed about the warning signs during the closing process. This is especially important for protecting older or vulnerable Oklahomans from losing their homes to fraud.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve. It’s an honor to represent the great people of District 21.