Sen. Ballenger Wins Approval for Bill Protecting Renters From Meth Properties

The full Senate has given approval to a measure ensuring greater consumer protection for renters through passage of the Clandestine Drug Laboratories Remediation Act. Senate Bill 2241, by Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, and Rep. Wade Rousselot, D-Wagoner, would require property owners to remediate an apartment, hotel room or residence used to make meth before it could be rented to anyone.

“Under current law, the owner of a property that’s been used for a meth lab can rent that unit or house back out once the dangerous material has been removed, but there’s no requirement for the property to be tested and remediated to ensure it is safe,” Ballenger said. “My legislation would require law enforcement to post notice that a meth lab had been discovered there and require testing and remediation before it could be rented again.”

In addition, anyone living in the unit at the time a meth lab is discovered would have to be evacuated until the property was deemed safe.

“For years we’ve seen declines in meth labs due to tough laws passed in Oklahoma, but now newer, easier methods of making meth have been discovered, and these ‘shake and bake’ labs are popping up in every part of the state,” Ballenger explained. “We don’t know what the long-term effects are, but we know the substances that result from these meth labs are toxic and highly flammable, so we need greater protections in place for prospective renters.”

SB 2241 must now be considered by the House of Representatives.