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House committee hears bill to allow lien on insurance proceeds for debris removal after total loss
Summary
House Bill 1187 would authorize a local government lien against insurance proceeds when an insured property is declared a total loss, to help municipalities clean up abandoned, blighted properties. Testimony split: Minot fire chief urged the tool; insurers warned of legal and practical problems.
The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee took testimony on House Bill 1187, which would create a debris‑removal lien tied to insurance proceeds after a total loss, in an attempt to give local governments an additional tool to abate blighted properties.
Representative Scott Lausser, R‑Minot, introduced the bill and said it was modeled on West Virginia law. He described cases in which insurance payouts for a total loss were paid to property owners who then abandoned structures, leaving communities with hazardous, blighted properties. "It becomes a blighted property in the community," Lausser said, explaining the bill would allow a portion of a claim to be held back in a lien until remediation is completed.
Kelly Kronschnabel, fire chief for Minot, testified in favor and described the local problems that prompted the proposal: boarded and uninsured…
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