Washington House Democrats

Bills benefit homeowners, mobile home tenants, cardiac patients

Morrell is successful sponsor of three bills signed by governor

May 11, 2007

OLYMPIA — A bill more than doubling the state homestead exemption was signed by Gov. Christine Gregoire today along with two other bills sponsored by Rep. Dawn Morrell (D-Puyallup) that will help resolve mobile home park disputes and ensure proper care for cardiac patients.

Morrell, a critical care nurse and vice chair of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, said she sponsored House Bill 1805 to protect homeowners’ equity from legal action for debt, particularly medical bankruptcies.

HB 1805 increases the state homestead exemption against creditors from $40,000 to $125,000. The adjustment was necessary to keep pace with skyrocketing home values. It is the first boost in Washington state’s homestead exemption since 1999.

“Nearly half of all bankruptcies are caused by medical problems, and I just don’t think it’s fair for people to lose their homes because of injury and illness,” Morrell said.

The governor’s signature on Morrell’s House Bill 1461 will give some teeth to the Manufactured/Mobile Home Landlord-Tenant Act of 1977.

Pierce County has 231 of the 1,829 mobile home parks in Washington, more than any other county in the state. For the first time under Morrell’s bill the state attorney general will be enabled to resolve disputes between the tenants and landlords of these parks.

The attorney general can now investigate alleged violations of the landlord-tenant act, broker agreements to resolve disputes between mobile home park landlords and tenants and issue citations to either party when voluntary agreements can’t be reached, with fines as high as $250 a day until a violation is corrected.

“This is a huge victory for mobile home owners across the state,” Morrell said. “All they want is a fair shake.”

Mobile home owners are gaining consumer protections from House Bill 2118, also signed by the governor today, that consolidates the regulation and certification of manufactured home installers in the state Department of Labor and Industries. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Steve Conway (D-Tacoma).

Cardiac care services expanded

A third Morrell bill signed by the governor today will require an independent study of data, while giving hospitals already performing live-saving emergent cardiac procedures an opportunity to be certified to do elective cardiac procedures.

Morrell’s House Bill 2304 was supported by every hospital in Pierce County and hundreds of cardiologists across the state. It provides that the state Department of Health adopt rules by July 1, 2008, to certify hospitals for the performance of elective procedures for patients suffering from cardiac disease.

“My goal is to put patients and their safety first while paving the way for a statewide cardiac system,” said Morrell. “Patients with heart disease should be able to stay in their own community for their cardiac care.”

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Bill Information:

HB 1805: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1805&year=2007

HB 1461: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1461&year=2007

HB 2304: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2304&year=2007

HB 2118: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2118&year=2007