S-4644               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6618

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Economic Development and Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Lee and Smith)

Read first time 2/1/88.

AN ACT Relating to mobile homes; adding new sections to chapter 43.63A RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The department of community development shall establish an office of mobile home affairs to serve as the coordinating office within state government for matters relating to mobile homes or manufactured housing.

          This office shall provide an ombudsman service to mobile home park owners and mobile home tenants with respect to problems and disputes between park owners and park residents.

          This office shall also provide an ombudsman service to mobile home park owners and mobile home tenants with respect to accessing governmental services related to health and safety within mobile home parks.

          This office shall further recommend policies and strategies that will promote the development and utilization of mobile homes or manufactured housing and the conversion of mobile home parks to resident ownership as a means of enhancing the supply of safe, sanitary, low and moderate-income housing within the state, and advise the legislature, executive agencies of state government, and local government entities accordingly.

          The office shall not evaluate or develop policies or programs relating to governmental rent control or rent stabilization.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The department shall establish the mobile home and manufactured  housing affairs advisory committee.  The committee shall consist of five members appointed by the director.  The committee shall be comprised of one representative of mobile home park tenants, one representative of mobile home park owners, and one representative of the public at large, each of whom shall be knowledgeable and have practical experience with the mobile home landlord tenant act, one representative of mobile home manufacturers, and one representative of local governments.  The director  shall appoint the committee chairperson.   The members of the committee shall not receive compensation or reimbursement for travel expenses.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The mobile home affairs account is hereby created in the state treasury.  This account shall consist of revenue received under section 4 of this act.  Disbursement from the account shall be by appropriation to the department of community development for the purpose of establishing and operating the office of mobile home affairs established in section 1 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     (1) Every owner of a mobile home park as defined by RCW 59.20.020 shall pay an annual fee of one dollar for each space in the mobile home park which is rented for at least six of the twelve months preceding the date when the fee is due.  This fee shall be paid to the county assessor together with the payment of taxes on the real property which comprises the park but shall not constitute an assessment on the real property.

          Every county assessor shall list the fee imposed by this section as a separate item on the real property tax statement mailed to each owner of record of a mobile home park which is located in that county.

          (2) Every tenant of a mobile home park as defined by RCW 59.20.020 shall pay an annual fee of one dollar to the mobile home affairs account.  The fee shall be collected by the park owner and forwarded to the county assessor together with the fee paid by the park owner as required by this section.  This fee shall be due and paid by the tenant occupying any space during the month when the park owner's fee is due.

          (3) Amounts received by assessors pursuant to this section shall be forwarded to the state treasurer at the times moneys are paid to the state treasurer under RCW 84.56.280.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The sum of one hundred thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the mobile home affairs account to the department of community development for the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     Sections 1 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 43.63A RCW.