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H3139 • 2025

An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests

An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests

Taxes
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Steven S. Howitt
Last action
2026-03-12
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see H5203
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests

An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 3139) of Steven S.
  • Howitt relative to transparency in property deed requests.
  • Revenue.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-12 House

    Accompanied a study order, see H5203

  2. 2025-10-28 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 11/07/2025 from 10:00 AM-02:00 PM in Gardner Auditorium

  3. 2025-07-14 Joint

    Hearing canceled – new hearing TBD

  4. 2025-07-11 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 07/22/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2

  5. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Revenue

  6. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act ensuring transparency in property deed requests
By Representative Howitt of Seekonk, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3139) of Steven S. Howitt relative to transparency in property deed requests. Revenue.

Current Bill Text

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Bill H.3139

Chapter 62C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding, after Section 64, the following new section:-

Section 64A. The secretary of state or the register of deeds in a county shall maintain a record of all requests to access a property deed. The secretary of state or register of deeds shall notify a property owner when a record request has been made on the property owner’s deed. Such notification shall be made through mail to the property no later than 10 business days after the deed has been requested.

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