Committee adopts amendments to appraisal-management company bill to align with federal ASC rules

The Committee on Industry and Business voted unanimously to adopt amendments and give a due-pass recommendation to the appraisal-management bill presented March 4, a measure the committee said updates state law to align with Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) and interagency rules.

Jill Beck, chief executive officer of the North Dakota Association of Realtors, and Jody Campbell, co-administrator with the state appraisal board, both testified that the amendment language circulated to stakeholders clarified statutory wording and corrected grammatical or formatting inconsistencies. Campbell described the package as designed to bring the state into compliance with ASC requirements for appraisal management companies.

Legislative staff and board representatives discussed two nearly identical lines on page 5 of the proposed amendment and agreed to remove a duplicated phrase while preserving required references to the board. Senator Cassel moved adoption of the amendments; Senator Klein seconded. The committee recorded a 5–0 vote to accept the amendments and then a separate 5–0 vote to give the bill a due pass as amended.

Committee members and witnesses said remaining changes were primarily editorial and that Legislative Council would address capitalization and punctuation. With amendments accepted, the committee named a carrier for the bill and closed the item.

Votes at a glance: - Amendment adoption: 5–0 yes - Due pass as amended: 5–0 yes

The committee moved immediately to other agenda items after the action.