The Vermont House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to enhance protections for residents of mobile home parks. The proposal, H123, requires that mobile home park owners ensure tenant safety by maintaining safe roads and access points for emergency use. When Tropical Storm Irene struck Vermont, 16 mobile home parks experienced flooding. First responders and advocates reported that the dilapidated roadway conditions in some mobile home parks slowed disaster response times. As a result, the General Assembly directed the Department of Housing and Community Development to investigate the difficulties confronting mobile home communities. Representative Bill Botzow introduced H.123 to act on the Department’s recommendations.
A mobile home in Waterbury is reflected in a pool of leaking kerosene following Tropical Storm Irene. Photo courtesy Agency of Natural Resources.
“The protections advanced by the House embody the essential role of state government,” explained House Speaker Shap Smith. “Working to ensure the health and safety of all Vermonters – rural, urban, low and moderate income – is vital to the health of our communities and state."
Representative Helen Head, the Chair of House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs, praised the outcome of the bill: “This bill creates a path for enforcement of health and safety, ensuring that ambulances and fire trucks can get in to help residents in our mobile home parks. All Vermonters should have access to emergency services in their time of need,” she said.
H123 now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Source: Speaker of the House. 3.19.2015