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Committee advances bill to formalize 'landman' code of conduct and ban threatening fee language
Summary
The House Natural Resources Committee advanced HB 841, a bill that adds negotiation and notice requirements for land agents negotiating easements and bars threatening language about landowners bearing court costs; amendments add graduated fines and give the department authority to rehear or revoke certificates that confer expropriation power.
House Bill 841, presented in committee as a measure to establish a code of conduct for land agents negotiating property interests, advanced with amendments after lawmakers and witnesses described cases where landowners felt intimidated by outreach letters and inspection procedures.
The bill, which sponsors said is "product agnostic," applies the code to any certificate that confers expropriation authority. Sponsor remarks and the bill text require written notice to known property owners, give owners the right to be present for inspections, call for good‑faith negotiations with no fewer than five in‑person documented attempts, require written offers showing compensation and legal description, and allow a…
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