PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
TRADE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Subject of Possible Rule Making: The Office of Manufactured Housing (OMH) (a.k.a. the Office of Mobile Home Affairs) is required to administer the Federal State Administrative Agency Program per chapter 43.63A RCW. Subjects of rule making include establishing fees and criteria for performing home manufacturer inspections and administering a mediation program for retailers, home manufacturers, and homeowners.
Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: Chapter 43.63A RCW, RCW [43.63A.]470, [43.63A.]480, [43.63A.]485, 46.70.136, and 43.330.040.
Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Fees will be assessed and criteria will be defined for: (1) Mediation services provided to retailers, manufacturers, and homeowners; and (2) for inspections provided to manufacturers. Rules are needed to provide homeowners with additional resources for resolving disputes with retailers and home manufacturers that currently do not exist. Rules will also allow greater monitoring of home manufacturers.
Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Licensing, and the Department of Labor and Industries. Rules will be coordinated with each agency through meetings and other forms of communication.
Process for Developing New Rule: Draft rules will be mailed to stakeholders. Feedback will be accepted in writing as well as at two public hearings, one in eastern Washington and one in western Washington. OMH will request and consider comments from all affected parties.
Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Teri Ramsauer, Office of Manufactured Housing, P.O. Box 48350, Olympia, WA 98504-8350, phone (360) 725-2960, fax (360) 586-5880, e-mail terir@cted.wa.gov.
July 16, 2002
Martha Choe
Director