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Committee advances bill requiring Division of Building Authority review before agency real‑estate transactions
Summary
House Bill 1499 would require state agencies to bring proposed purchases or sales of public property to the Division of Building Authority for approval to obtain appraisals and to have appraisals reviewed by DBA before final offers.
The committee passed House Bill 1499, an agency bill presented by State Representative David Ray on behalf of the Division of Building Authority (DBA). Chris Bell, deputy director of the Division of Building Authority with TSS, testified that the bill implements recommendations from an efficiency study and is supported by the governor.
Under the bill, agencies proposing to buy or sell public lands must bring their request to DBA at the front end to obtain approval for an appraisal; once an appraisal is completed the agency must return it to DBA for review and recommendation. Bell told the committee agencies sometimes commission appraisals and make offers before DBA is involved; bringing DBA into the process earlier would allow feasibility assessments, floodplain reviews and taxpayer-focused recommendations.
Committee members did not pose substantive questions during the presentation, and no public witnesses registered opposition. A motion to pass (mover: Senator Patents; second: Senator Dodson) was approved by voice vote and the chair announced the bill passed the committee.
Sponsor testimony framed the change as a procedural shift to improve oversight and ensure appraisals and feasibility work are coordinated by the agency that specializes in state real estate management.
