HB 1379 – Bulk form copies. Rep. Hoy. Increases to 10 cents per page (from 5 cents) the fee the county recorder is required to charge “bulk users.” A “bulk user” is a person that purchases a copy of all recorded documents (or the indices) received by the county recorder for recording in a calendar day, week, month, or year.
This was a hotly contested issue, passing the House by a vote of 52 to 41. It was not a particularly partisan vote, however. That’s refreshing to me somehow – a close, yet nonpartisan, vote. Even with a topic as mundane as copy fees at the Recorder’s office.
Technorati Tags: HB1379-2007, public access
I’m glad to see that it really matters, we can put the petty disagreements aside and vote how we feel is best for the state. You go guys!
Being one who uses the services of many County Recorders, I can see the title companies, one of the main bulk users, being really upset about this hike. It means a doubling of the cost of their costs in this area.
The Recorders got a bump on fees for essentially nothing last year when state law ordered a separate page to be recorded for the redaction of Social Security Numbers. Now the redecation is a good idea, meant to prevent identity theft. Adding a page also meant adding $2 to the cost of recordation. The law has since changed, and now instead of adding an extra page, you can merely add the redaction statement at the bottom of the document. Most counties provide a rubber stamp or sticker with the statement. This saves a piece of paper per document, which is a good thing.
However, the $2/document fee remained. So, it has the effect of being a budget builder for the Recorders. I’d like to see this fee go away. Challenging this fee would bring bi-partisan unity in opposition- from the Recorders, regardless of party.