FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	AT

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2005	(202) 514-2007

WWW.USDOJ.GOV	TDD (202) 514-1888

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT ON OKLAHOMA LEGISLATURE'S

PROPOSED REAL ESTATE LEGISLATION

The Department of Justice issued the following statement today as the Oklahoma legislature considers Senate Bill 673:

"The Department of Justice neither drafted nor endorsed the revised version of Senate Bill 673 in the Oklahoma legislature. Our views were set forth in our letter dated April 8, 2005.

"While the revised bill is an improvement, it does not make sufficiently clear that consumers will retain the freedom to purchase only the real estate services they want. The language of Senate Bill 673, for example, does not make clear whether a consumer can tell his or her broker in advance that the consumer would like to negotiate the sale of the home without any assistance from the broker, and, as a consequence, pay less for the services that the broker does provide. Given the lack of consumer complaints about fee-for-service real estate brokerage services, we encourage the legislature to take the time to further clarify the language in the bill to ensure the preservation of consumer choice."

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