HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2216

             As Reported By House Committee On:

            Economic Development, Housing & Trade

Title:  An act relating to manufactured and mobile homes.

Brief Description:  Providing assistance to preserve and develop mobile home parks.

Sponsors:  Representatives Van Luven, Kastama, Veloria, Dunn, Morris, Ballasiotes, D. Sommers, Eickmeyer, Skinner, Radcliff, Wensman, McDonald, Santos, D. Schmidt, O'Brien, Conway, Lantz, Edwards and Kenney.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Economic Development, Housing & Trade:  3/2/99 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Requires the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development to provide technical assistance in the acquisition of existing mobile home parks and the development of new mobile home parks.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING & TRADE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives Van Luven, Republican Co-Chair; Veloria, Democratic Co-Chair; Dunn, Republican Vice Chair; Eickmeyer, Democratic Vice Chair; Ballasiotes; Gombosky; Miloscia; Morris; Radcliff; Skinner; D. Sommers; and Wolfe.

Staff:  Kenny Pittman (786-7392).

Background:

The Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) through the Office of Mobile Home Affairs serves as a resource and information center for manufactured housing information.  In addition, CTED may provide technical assistance to resident organizations desiring to convert a mobile home park to resident ownership.

Summary of Bill:

CTED must provide technical assistance to:  (i) help nonprofit organizations acquire existing mobile home parks; and (ii) help nonprofit and for-profit organizations develop new mobile home parks.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The closure of a mobile home park causes displacement of its tenants, many which are seniors.  The problem is that there are not enough mobile home park spaces to relocate the mobile homes to.  This is the first step in developing a comprehensive approach to address this important problem.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Van Luven, prime sponsor; and Representative Veloria, sponsor.