Of all the important bills debated and passed in the Colorado legislature during this session, the most important in my opinion, is HB19-1309 “Mobile Home Park Act Oversight.” It passed the Senate with no amendments last Thursday despite the efforts of corporate lobbyists and leaders from the mobile home industry. Once the governor signs the bill into law, it will begin to make a difference in the everyday lives of my friends and neighbors. For that I am thankful!
Thank you to the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Edie Hooton and Rep. Julie McCluskie in the House and Sen. Stephen Fenberg and Sen. Pete Lee in the Senate. Thank you to the elected leaders in the House and Senate who voted to pass HB19-1309. (The vote was 56-8 in the House and 24-11 in the Senate, where the yes votes included five Republicans.) Thank you to my representative, Matt Gray, for supporting the bill. Thank you to Broomfield city councilmember Guyleen Castriotta and city council candidate Heidi Henkel for using their influence to help pass the bill. And, especially, thank you to members of Broomfield congregations who contacted their elected officials in support of for HB19-1309.
Congratulations are in order to 9to5 Colorado, to my friends with the Colorado Mobile Home Residents Alliance (COMHRA) and to mobile home resident-advocates who spoke from firsthand experience at the Capitol! This is a huge win for ordinary people, and while there is a long way to go to bring true regulation and oversight to the often unscrupulous and exploitative mobile home industry, this is a crucial step. This is how democracy should work — from the grassroots up!
Here is a summary of the bill and its purpose: “Concerning the regulation of mobile home parks, and, in connection therewith, granting counties the power to enact ordinances for mobile home parks, extending the time to move or sell a mobile home after eviction proceedings, creating the ‘Mobile Home Park Act Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Program’, and making an appropriation.”
And here’s a summary of the need for the bill from the Colorado Center on Law & Policy.
