TULSA, Okla. — A bill aimed at providing state-regulated safety and transparency in rental units has failed to get a needed reading in the Oklahoma State Legislature.
Tulsa freshman Rep. Michelle McCane's HB1945 required landlords, owners, and operators with at least five rental units or properties to subject all employees to a background screening before they can get hired.
It also required them to maintain a log that tracks the issuance and return of keys for all units.
In Oklahoma, the law currently does not require a property manager or landlord to run any screenings on employees that need access to properties.
More than one-third of Oklahomans are tenants, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
"I was scrolling through Facebook last year and saw a mugshot of someone that I knew from the past, and that made me take notice," Rep. McCane told 2 News via Zoom on Feb. 27. "They had been a maintenance employee in Tulsa and they were on a maintenance call and assaulted a woman. I realized that Florida had passed similar legislation. I've lived in apartments, and as a single mom...who came into my home and stuff was always a concern for me."
After passing 8-0 in the Civil Judiciary Committee on Feb. 20, HB1945 was not picked up in the House Judiciary & Public Safety Oversight committee on March 5.
McCane said she couldn't get a Senate co-author by this deadline, despite receiving bipartisan support.
Tulsa Apartment Association executive director Sherri Daley told 2 News earlier on March 5 that its 100+ members commit to this accountability.
"To be honest with you, I didn't know (the law) didn't exist," Daley said. "It's actually a common practice with our members now. They started this a long time ago."
While Daley mostly hears from landlords and not tenants in her position, she said she knows good housing policy when she sees it and would have supported the bill.
"It's common sense," Daley added. "I think everyone should be able to have the expectation of privacy. And knowing that when you're renting somewhere that the people that have access to your apartment have at least gone through certain background checks."
The representative's office plans to explore a path to revive the bill by the end of the week despite the passed deadline, but confirmed to 2 News HB1945 is tentatively failed until next year's legislative session.
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