Committee shifts reporting of land conveyances near critical infrastructure to Homeland Security; bill passes

The House Appropriations Committee advanced House Bill 97 on a voice/roll call after adopting a clarifying change to how distance is described. The bill transfers from county clerks to the director of the Office of Homeland Security—and to the Division of Criminal Investigation—the responsibility for identifying recorded conveyances near designated critical infrastructure and investigating potential security concerns. The committee voted 7–0 to pass the bill with amendments.

The bill was presented to the committee by Representative Nicholas, who said the change responds to problems county clerks reported after last year’s foreign property ownership law. "The clerks didn't want to do it and they didn't really have the, the capacity, many of them to do it and basically the Office of Homeland Security said we can do it," Representative Nicholas said, summarizing the working group’s recommendation.

Committee…