House Energy and Natural Resources panel amends, advances bill to send one certified survey notice per tax-listed owner

The House Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a motion amended and voted to advance Senate Bill 23-79, changing the bill’s notice language so that certified notices would be addressed to the “owner on the tax list” rather than to a “landowner.” The committee voted 9-4 to adopt the amendment and later recorded a 9-4 roll call recommending the bill be given a do-pass as amended.

Committee members said the change was intended to avoid multiple certified mailings to related or “sibling” parcels owned under the same tax-listed owner. During discussion, members questioned how certified mail would be handled and whether a recipient’s refusal would affect the sender’s legal obligation to notify; members noted that mailing processes create a paper trail showing dispatch and receipt attempts.

Representative Heintner moved the amendment to strike “landowner” and insert “owner on the tax list” on line 16 of the draft; Representative Olson seconded. Representative Ruby said she would oppose the amendment because it “gets away from the permission from the landowner” and preferred retaining explicit landowner permission in the bill.

After the amendment passed 9-4, Representative Anderson moved a do-pass recommendation on the bill as amended; Representative Novak seconded. The clerk’s roll call on the do-pass recommendation produced the same 9-4 result and the committee recorded a do-pass as amended in committee minutes.

The amendment narrows the set of addresses to which certified notice would be sent by directing notices to the owner listed on the jurisdiction’s tax rolls rather than to whoever is described as the landowner in other sources. The committee’s discussion briefly covered practical steps for delivery and recordkeeping of certified mail but did not change the bill’s 30-day timing referenced in existing notice language.

The committee advanced the amended bill out of committee with a do-pass recommendation; the bill carrier was noted in committee as Senate Bill 23-79.