H-4135              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1673

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Todd, Barnes, Nutley, Cooper, Cantwell, Sanders, Sayan, Crane, Unsoeld, Rasmussen, Sprenkle, J. Williams, Leonard, Cole, Dorn, Patrick, Pruitt and Beck

Read first time 1/22/88 and referred to Committee on Housing.

AN ACT Relating to an office of mobile home affairs; adding a new section to chapter 59.22 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 84.52 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 59.22 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) The department shall provide general assistance to mobile home resident organizations, park owners, and landlords and tenants, the department shall establish an office of mobile home affairs which will serve as the coordinating office within state government for matters relating to mobile homes or manufactured housing.

          This office will 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 and to provide technical assistance to resident organizations or persons in the process of forming a resident organization pursuant to chapter 59.22 RCW.  The office will keep records of its activities in this area.

          This office will 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 will 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 may not consider, evaluate, or develop policies or any means of government controlling the economic return to mobile home park owners resulting from operation of their parks.

          (2) The department shall establish the mobile home and manufactured  housing affairs advisory committee.  The mobile home and manufactured housing affairs advisory committee shall be a subcommittee of the state housing advisory committee if the department creates a state housing advisory committee.  Otherwise, the committee shall consist of five members appointed by the director of the department of community development.  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.  Only the representatives of the mobile home park tenants, mobile home park owners, and the public at large shall review and advise the office on issues relating to the mobile home landlord tenant act.  The director of the department of community development shall appoint the committee chairperson.  The entire committee shall advise the office in implementing the provisions of subsection (1) of this section.  The members of the committee shall not receive compensation or reimbursement for travel expenses.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 84.52 RCW to read as follows:

          In order to fund the office of mobile home affairs created by section 1 of this act, a tax of one-tenth of one percent shall be collected by the counties of the state and shall be deposited in the office of the treasurer in a separate fund to be used solely for the office of mobile home affairs.  This tax shall be levied on:  (1) All real property that is used as a mobile home park as defined in RCW 59.20.030(4); (2) all mobile homes considered real property by the county; and (3) all mobile homes considered personal property by the county.