News came Sunday that SB1380, the property lien bill, will live on as a threat to private property rights at least through June 30.
The bill has been the subject of two Calls for Action, and originally the bill had been set to expire for consideration by the House at the session’s scheduled end of May 31. However, the session has been extended as lawmakers grapple with resolving budget issues, and that means SB1380 is still alive.
If you haven’t taken part in the Call for Action, you may do so by clicking this link.
The bill would allow municipalities to attach liens for nuisance code violations (litter, uncut grass, etc.) not only to an offending property, but also to other non-offending properties held by the same owner.
IAR has long held that the effort was a legislative overreach. Existing laws already allow municipalities to recoup the costs of code enforcement on properties through placement of liens on the offending property.
The bill has had a long journey in the legislative session. It passed in the Senate by a narrow margin, and has been an on-again, off-again agenda item on the House Cities and Villages Committee. The extension means that lawmakers could consider the bill any time through the end of this month.