Sen. Perry Dozier speaks on the Senate floor Wednesday night. Due to COVID restrictions, only a handful of members are permitted on the Senate floor at any given time, and masks are required.

To see video of the first-bill festivities, click here.

OLYMPIA – Sen. Perry Dozier, R-Waitsburg, passed his first bill off the Senate floor Wednesday night – a measure that allows mortgage loan originators to work from home.

The occasion prompted much teasing from Dozier’s colleagues, in accordance with Senate tradition, as they denounced the bill and urged the full Senate to vote no. Yet when it came time for the roll call, the bill passed 49-0.

“It’s a tradition around here, and I’m glad to be part of it,” said Dozier, who took office at the start of this year’s legislative session. “It was as if the entire Senate rose up against me. But I know it’s all in fun.”

Senate Bill 5077 authorizes mortgage loan originators to continue working from home, a practice allowed for the past year by the state Department of Financial Institutions under COVID emergency orders. State law requires mortgage originators to do all business at licensed office locations. The legislation clarifies that working from home is permissible, if mortgage loan originators adhere to state security rules, keep all paper records at their branch offices, and their work is done via a secure office computer system.

Dozier said the additional flexibility should make it easier for clients to meet with mortgage originators and get their loans processed. The measure now moves to the House for further consideration.