State Land Office Bills Introduced by Reformers:
Legislation would set SLO rules, limits
Las Cruces Bulletin
February 6, 2009
Three Democratic Dona Aña County legislators introduced bills Wednesday, Feb. 4, to strengthen State Land Office
procedures, transparency and insure a fair rate of return for property transactions.
State Reps. Nathan Cote, Jeff Steinborn and Sen. Steve Fischmann introduced the legislation that would codify different procedures in the State Land Office.
The bills are:
• HB607 and SB474 – State Land Lessee Improvement Requirements (Cote and Fischmann) would limit compensation for certain lessees to an amount based on the value of tangible improvements to real property.
• HB606 – Require Development Lease Notice and Bidding (Steinborn) would require that business leases for real estate planning or development purposes shall be issued only after notice and competitive bid.
• HB610 – Land Commissioner Classification and Accounting (Cote) would require the commissioner of public lands to develop and utilize a manual prescribing a uniform classification of accounts and a uniform system for budgeting and reporting.
• HB605 – Review of Development Business Leases (Steinborn) would provide that business leases for real estate planning or development purposes shall not be effective until reviewed by the appropriate municipal and county governing body.
• SB475 – AG Review of Development Land Leases (Fischmann) would provide for third party review of State Land Office planning for development and lease transactions to insure fair return to the taxpayers.
