Wisconsin Register Of Deeds Association Honors Senator Olsen

Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) received the Legislator of the Year award from the Wisconsin Register of Deeds Association on Tuesday, March 5th. Olsen was recognized for legislation he authored to streamline and update different sections of law to allow Register of Deeds offices to be more efficient and effective.

 

“I’m honored to receive this award from the Register of Deeds Association,” said Senator Olsen, “but more than that, I’m happy we were able to work together on legislation that makes local government more efficient and easier for citizens to work with.”

 

Senator Olsen introduced Senate Bill 131 which made several changes to the way Registers of Deeds (RODs) file and record certain information to reflect current technology that is in use. Governor Scott Walker signed this bill into law last year. “What I learned from talking to the Registers of Deeds in my district was that the state law was really specific when it came to page numbers and even the sizes of blank space needed to record a condominium plat, but these specific requirements did not work with the current technology offices used,” Olsen explained.

 

In addition, Senator Olsen authored Assembly Bill 664 which removes the requirement that a death certificate be provided to the RODs in order to transfer the property rights of an individual after they pass away. The bill passed the State Assembly and will likely be taken up by the Senate later this month. “Now that state vital records are stored electronically, and counties are moving in that direction, there’s no need for family members to be required to pay for certified death certificate to transfer property,” said Olsen.

 

Senator Olsen was presented the Legislator of the Year award by Sarah Guenther, Green Lake County Register of Deeds, pictured with him in the attached photo.