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Senate committee advances bill to drop notarization requirement on some municipal bid affidavits
Summary
The committee approved Senate Bill 898, a request from Oklahoma City, to remove a notarization requirement for certain contractor affidavits submitted with municipal bids. City attorney Laura McDevitt told senators the change targets logistical problems with electronic bidding and would not eliminate penalties for false statements.
The Local and County Government Committee advanced Senate Bill 898 by a 6-3 vote after extended discussion about accountability and procurement safeguards.
Senator Pugh, the bill’s sponsor, said the proposal grew from meetings with municipalities and construction trades and would remove a notarization requirement that has become a barrier as bids move online. Pugh said the change is a request of Oklahoma City and is meant to “streamline” administrative steps when contractors submit large electronic bid packages.
Laura McDevitt, identified as an Oklahoma City assistant city attorney, explained the intended scope: “When the city receives bids, there’s a lot of documents … and we end up having to reject bids when someone just overlooked the fact that they needed to get that statement notarized.” McDevitt told the committee that core attestation requirements and penalties remain; the change would eliminate only the physical notarization that frequently causes procedural rejections.
Opponents raised questions about accountability if an affidavit is not notarized. Senator Goodwin asked whether removing notarization also removes being “under oath.” McDevitt and the bill sponsor clarified that the intent is to remove the notarization step, not to eliminate legal obligations to tell the truth; senators debated whether the change would weaken enforcement and whether statewide practice should be uniform.
Action: The committee struck the title by unanimous consent, recorded a due-pass motion moved by Senator Stewart and seconded by Senator Burns, and advanced the bill 6 ayes to 3 nays.
The bill will proceed with committee work and questions about how municipalities will implement affidavit verification in electronic procurement.
