MOBILE HOME COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP
House Bill 4199
Sponsor: Rep. Gloria Schermesser
Committee: Commerce
Complete to 7-25-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4199 AS INTRODUCED 2-13-01
House Bill 4199 would amend the Mobile Home Commission Act to change the composition of the commission membership. The 11-member commission currently contains "an elected official of a local government"; under the bill, there would instead be three elected officials: one township official, one city or village official, and one county official. Removed from the commission would be one mobile home park operator (leaving two mobile home park operators on the commission) and a representative of organized labor (although one of the mobile home residents on the commission would now have to be a member of organized labor).
The bill also would alter the selection process for commission members. Currently, commission members are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The bill would give the advice and consent function to the House of Representatives. Further, there would be no need for advice and consent if the governor chose members from lists of three recommendations provided by specified interested groups. Members would be selected as follows.
The representative of an organization whose membership consists of mobile home residents would be selected from a list of three recommendations provided by the Michigan Manufactured Homeowners Association.
A representative of financial institutions would be selected from recommendations provided by the Michigan Bankers Association, the Michigan Credit Union League, the Michigan Association of Savings Banks, and the Michigan Mortgage Bankers Association.
The two operators of licensed mobile home parks, a licensed mobile home dealer, and a manufacturer of mobile homes would all be selected from recommendations provided by the Michigan Manufactured Housing, RV and Campground Association. Currently, the commission includes two operators of mobile home parks with 100 or more sites, and one operator of a park with fewer than 100 sites. The bill would leave two park operators on the commission and remove the distinction between larger and smaller parks.
An elected township official would be selected from recommendations provided by the Michigan Townships Association; an elected official from a city or village would be selected from recommendations provided by the Michigan Municipal League; and an elected county official would be selected from recommendations provided by the Michigan Association of Counties.
Two residents of licensed mobile home parks would be selected, one of whom would be a representative of organized labor selected from a list of three recommendations provided by the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The bill does not specify how the other park resident would be selected.
Currently, the act says a commission member "may be removed from office by the governor for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct or malfeasance in office." The bill would substitute "shall" for "may" and would specify that three unexcused absences in one calendar year is grounds for removal from the commission.
Currently, the act restricts some members of the commission (those representing residents, labor, and elected officials), and their immediate families, from having more than a one percent ownership interest in or income benefit from a manufacturer or retailer of mobile homes, a mobile home park, or a supplier of mobile home products or services. The bill would remove the reference to "more than one percent" ownership and would make the provision apply also to the representative of financial institutions. However, the provision would not apply in that case to income benefit from providing mortgages, loans, or other financial products to the mobile home industry in the ordinary course of employment and any ownership interest a commission member representing financial institutions had in his or her employer who was supplying services to the mobile home industry.
The bill also would replace references to the Department of Public Health with references to the Department of Environmental Quality, in order to recognize current practices. The DEQ regulates water supply, sewage collection and treatment, and drainage facilities for mobile home parks and seasonal mobile home parks.
MCL 125.2303 and 125.2305
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.