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Bill

HD 5299

An Act providing for the establishment of a board to oversee use and occupancy payments for manufactured housing community accommodations in the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Jim Hawkins

Attleboro could form a local board to oversee use and occupancy payments for manufactured housing parks, adjust payments for fairness, and regulate eviction procedures.

Referred to the committee on House Rules
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HD 5299

Summary: HD 5299 — An Act Providing for the Establishment of a Board to Oversee Use and Occupancy Payments for Manufactured Housing Community Accommodations in Attleboro

Basic Information

  • Bill Number: HD 5299
  • Title: An Act providing for the establishment of a board to oversee use and occupancy payments for manufactured housing community accommodations in the city of Attleboro, Massachusetts
  • Status: Referred to the House Rules Committee
  • Introduced: November 6, 2025
  • Classifications: Proposed local bill; municipal governance
  • Legislative Actions: Local approval received; petition by Rep. Hawkins and Sen. Feeney

Purpose and Intent

The bill would authorize the City of Attleboro to establish a municipal board tasked with overseeing the use and occupancy payments within manufactured housing parks, regulating minimum standards for use/occupancy, and administering eviction processes when necessary. The board would have authority to adjust payment levels to ensure fairness for occupants and to regulate park operations to protect tenants.

Key Provisions

Section 1 — Establishment and Authority

  • Attleboro may, by ordinance, establish a board to oversee use and occupancy payments and regulate minimum standards for manufactured housing park accommodations, including eviction procedures.
  • The board may adopt rules and regulations and require owners of manufactured housing parks to register information related to their parks under penalty of perjury.
  • Violations of any ordinance or order issued under this act may be punished by a fine of up to $5,000.

Section 2 — Board Powers and Procedures

  • The board may make upward or downward adjustments to use/occupancy payments to ensure fair levels for occupants.
  • The board may:
    • Create and implement rules to achieve the act’s goals
    • Require registration of information (under penalty of perjury)
    • Sue and be sued
    • Compel attendance and production of papers/information
    • Issue binding orders applicable to both owners and tenants

Section 3 — Factors for Determining Fair Net Operating Income

  • The board may consider, among other factors, elements such as:
    • Property tax changes
    • Increases/decreases in operating and maintenance expenses
    • Capital improvements (distinguished from ordinary repair/maintenance)
    • Changes in space, services, equipment, or similar factors
    • Deterioration not due to ordinary wear and tear
    • Failure to perform ordinary repairs/maintenance
  • The board may define additional factors by regulation.

Section 4 — Administrative Law and Review

  • Chapter 30A (administrative procedure act) applies to the board as if it were a Commonwealth agency.
  • This includes provisions relating to judicial review of agency orders.

Section 5 — Judicial Review and Enforcement

  • District court has original jurisdiction, concurrently with the Superior Court, for petitions for review under Chapter 30A.
  • The Superior Court has original jurisdiction to enforce the act and any related ordinances and may restrain violations.

Section 6 — Personnel

  • Board personnel would not be subject to certain civil service provisions (specifically, not subject to Chapter 31 or section 9A of Chapter 30).

Section 7 — Effective Date

  • The act would take effect upon passage.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Manufactured housing park owners/operators in Attleboro: May be required to register park information; subject to board rules, potential adjustments to payments, and compliance with orders.
  • Tenants/residents of manufactured housing communities: Potentially protected by standardized, fairer use and occupancy payments; may benefit from governance and eviction standards.
  • City/municipal governance: Establishes new local regulatory framework and enforcement mechanisms with court oversight.

Timelines and Process

  • Local approval processes required (board creation via ordinance) and subject to state review. The bill is currently in House Rules, with local approval noted in the filing. If enacted, the board would be established under Attleboro ordinances and operate under Chapter 30A procedures for reviews.

Potential Implications and Considerations

  • Could create uniform standards for rents/use payments in Attleboro’s manufactured housing parks.
  • Imposes registration and reporting requirements on park owners.
  • Introduces a specialized local mechanism for adjusting payments to reflect financial and operational factors affecting parks.
  • Enforcement and dispute resolution would involve local ordinances and state court review.

This summary captures the bill’s substantive provisions, affected parties, and procedural framework as presented in the enrolled text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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