Juneau -- In what veteran legislators would call a very rare event, a measure requiring tax assessors to ask permission to enter dwellings passed the House and Senate, including all committees, with no opposition. "I must credit the Frontiersman with excellent coverage of the incident, which I used in the bill packet to bring the issue to light," said Ogan.

The bill, HB 22, changed state law to require tax assessors to gain permission before entering a dwelling. Current law is broad based and actually gives permission to an assessor to enter without asking. "When my constituent called me with the complaint, I looked at the law and was surprised to see no requirement for permission," said Ogan.

Ogan introduced the bill early on and the State Tax Assessor cooperated with him in developing language. "This is a perfect example of the need to amend and improve existing law. It was a small thing technically, but a huge step philosophically. Our constitutional right to privacy in our homes must be honored and protected," said Ogan.