Committee clears technical cleanups to state lands code, clarifies investments and redemption procedures

House Bill 1191, carried by Representative Marcus Richmond and described as largely technical corrections, passed the Senate Revenue & Tax Committee by voice vote.

Richmond told the committee that most changes are terminology cleanups (replacing "land" with "parcel") and removing obsolete code sections. Section 1 would allow the commissioner of state lands to invest in Treasury bills or savings bonds when interest rates on those instruments exceed certificates of deposit. Other sections clarify how excess proceeds remain in escrow and that when a redeemer other than the owner redeems a parcel, the deed is issued to the owner and the redeemer receives a receipt.

Richmond said the changes respond to prior legislative edits and aim to reduce confusion about the effect of redemption payments. No members of the public spoke against the bill. Senator Payton moved to pass; Senator Crowell seconded. The committee approved HB1191 by voice vote and the bill passed out of committee.

Next steps: HB1191 will proceed through the regular legislative process; proponents described it as largely technical and intended to reduce administrative ambiguity.