SENATE BILL REPORT
ESSB 6449
As Passed Senate, February 18, 2002
Title: An act relating to allowing entrance and exit fees under limited circumstances.
Brief Description: Allowing entrance and exit fees under limited circumstances.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Financial Institutions (originally sponsored by Senator Kastama).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce & Financial Institutions: 1/29/02, 2/5/02 [DPS].
Passed Senate: 2/18/02, 45-0.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6449 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Prentice, Chair; Keiser, Vice Chair; Fairley, Franklin, Gardner, Rasmussen, Regala and Winsley.
Staff: Elizabeth Mitchell (786‑7430)
Background: The law specifies certain items that cannot be part of a mobile home landlord-tenant rental agreement. These items include a landlord charging entrance and exit fees to a park.
Continuing care retirement communities offer multi-year shelter along with nursing, medical, health-related, or personal care services. These services are sometimes conditioned upon the payment of an entrance fee by tenants. Some organizations would like to become continuing care retirement communities, but the owners of these communities are currently prohibited from collecting entrance fees from mobile home residents.
Summary of Bill: Mobile home landlords are allowed to charge entrance and exit fees if these fees are specified in a continuing care contract.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: Warm Beach Senior Community in Stanwood wants to become a continuing care retirement community. Entrance fees into the community will provide for a future 20 percent discount on assisted living nursing home care. Currently Warm Beach is prohibited from charging entrance fees to its mobile home tenants.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: David Fairchild, Warm Beach Senior Community (pro).