S‑0961.1 _____________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5694
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Senators Winsley, Prentice, Kastama and McAuliffe
Read first time 01/31/2001. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Financial Institutions.
_1 AN ACT Relating to certification of resident managers of mobile
_2 home parks; adding a new chapter to Title 18 RCW; making an
_3 appropriation; providing an effective date; and declaring an
_4 emergency.
_5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
_6 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The purpose of this chapter is to
_7 establish a certification program for managers of mobile home
_8 parks.
_9 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires
10 otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this
11 chapter.
12 (1) "Advisory council" means the advisory council on mobile
13 home park manager training and certification created in section 7
14 of this act.
15 (2) "Department" means the department of community, trade, and
16 economic development.
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_1 (3) "Director" means the director of the department of
_2 community, trade, and economic development.
_3 (4) "Mobile home park" has the same meaning as in RCW
_4 59.20.030.
_5 (5) "Mobile home park management" means those actions,
_6 functions, or duties related to the management of a mobile home
_7 park.
_8 (6) "Mobile home park manager" means a person who performs
_9 mobile home park management duties and is required to be certified
10 under this chapter to perform mobile home park management services
11 and includes resident owners of mobile home parks who perform
12 management duties.
13 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) A person will not manage a mobile home
14 park in this state for any mobile home park with more than twenty-
15 five mobile home lots until a certificate of registration
16 certifying him or her as a mobile home park manager has been
17 issued to him or her by the director in accordance with this
18 chapter, except that a person initially employed as a park manager
19 after the effective date of this act may be employed in that
20 capacity for no more than ninety consecutive days following
21 commencement of employment. At the end of that ninety-day period
22 the park manager must have attained certification in accordance
23 with this chapter or immediately cease their employment.
24 (2) A corporation, partnership, trust, association, sole
25 proprietor, or other like organization may own or operate a mobile
26 home park or engage in the business of mobile home park management
27 without being certified if it employs, retains, or contracts with
28 certified natural persons who are registered mobile home park
29 managers subject to this chapter.
30 NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The director will not issue an initial
31 certificate of registration to any person to act as a mobile home
32 park manager until that person has:
33 (a) Executed a written application on a form prescribed by the
34 director, subscribed and sworn to by the applicant;
35 (b) Attended and completed a department-approved training
36 course for mobile home park managers;
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_1 (c) Passed an examination approved by the department which
_2 demonstrates that the applicant has a fundamental knowledge of the
_3 manufactured/mobile home landlord-tenant act under chapter 59.20
_4 RCW; and
_5 (d) Paid to the director a fee authorized in section 8 of this
_6 act.
_7 (2) Certificates of registration are effective on the date
_8 issued by the department and must be renewed every two years.
_9 (3) A certificate of registration may be renewed annually
10 provided the applicant provides evidence of continuing education
11 as approved by the department. This evidence must be submitted with
12 an application to renew certification. A maximum of eight hours of
13 continuing education biennially may be required by the department
14 for renewal of certification.
15 (4) As of the effective date of this section, mobile home park
16 managers may present a verification of having successfully
17 completed a training course conducted by a statewide trade
18 association of mobile home park owners, which will satisfy the
19 initial training requirement for one year and entitle the park
20 manager to certification for that year.
21 NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The department will contract with a
22 statewide trade association exclusively representing mobile home
23 park owners for the delivery of training courses required by this
24 chapter. Training courses shall be made available within ninety
25 days after the effective date of this section. The trade
26 association may charge a fee for delivery of the training
27 courses. The department, in consultation with the advisory council,
28 will approve the curriculum of the training program.
29 NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) The department, in consultation with
30 the advisory council, will administer, coordinate, and enforce
31 this chapter, develop the examination of applicants, and be
32 responsible for the granting of certificates to qualified persons.
33 (2) The department is authorized to adopt rules that are
34 necessary to implement, enforce, and interpret this chapter.
35 NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) There is created an advisory council
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_1 on mobile home park manager training and certification. The council
_2 consists of five members as follows: Two members of the council
_3 must be residents of mobile home parks; two members must be owners
_4 of mobile home parks; and one member must be the director or the
_5 director's designee, who serves as the chair of the council and is
_6 a nonvoting member. The resident members of the council must be
_7 selected from nominees submitted by organizations that represent
_8 mobile home owners. The park owner members of the council must be
_9 selected from nominees submitted by the manufacturing housing
10 communities of Washington. The director will appoint the members
11 for terms of two years.
12 (2) Members of the council will serve without compensation but
13 are entitled to receive reimbursement for travel expenses as
14 provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
15 (3) The functions of the advisory council are to:
16 (a) Review, evaluate, and advise the department concerning
17 revisions and adoption of rules affecting certification of mobile
18 home park managers and the fees to be charged under section 8 of
19 this act; and
20 (b) Develop, review, revise, and approve, in consultation with
21 the department, the program for certification of mobile home park
22 managers.
23 (4) The advisory council will meet at the call of its chair, at
24 the request of a majority of its membership, at the request of the
25 department, or at such times as are prescribed by rule.
26 (5) The department will provide adequate staff support to the
27 advisory council to assist it in fulfilling its duties.
28 NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The department may charge reasonable fees
29 for services under this chapter that include, but are not limited
30 to, the initial application fee, an application renewal fee, and
31 fees for manager certification training costs. These fees are not
32 intended to exceed the cost of providing the service under this
33 chapter.
34 NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 3 and 4 of this act are necessary
35 for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or
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_1 safety, or support of the state government and its existing public
_2 institutions, and take effect July 1, 2001.
_3 NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. If any provision of this act or its
_4 application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
_5 remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
_6 persons or circumstances is not affected.
_7 NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. The sum of thirty‑five thousand dollars,
_8 or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the
_9 fiscal year ending June 30, 2002, from the general fund to the
10 department of community, trade, and economic development for the
11 purposes of this act.
12 NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. Sections 1 through 10 of this act
13 constitute a new chapter in Title 18 RCW.
‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑
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