Local Government TV

Monday, October 22, 2012

Bob Freeman: Defender of Rednecks

State Rep. Bob Freeman's bill to protect trailer park tenants sailed through the state house on March 8 with a 190-7 vote. On October 16, it was passed unanimously by the State Senate. Now all that's needed before it becomes state law is Governor Corbett's signature. 

Freeman introduced this bill after the Barbosa Trailer Park, located in Bethlehem Township, was sold to developer Lou Pektor for condos, without giving tenants enough time to find alternative housing. The project was never developed. 


Freeman's bill requires manufactured home community owners, when closing the community, to:

(1) inform residents within 60 days of any decision to close the community;·        
(2) inform the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the home municipality also within 60 days;·        (3) give residents at least six months to leave the community when the closure notice is made -- under current law they only have 30 days;
·     (4) consider any offer to purchase the community by a resident association representing at least 25 percent of the manufactured home spaces;
(5) pay relocation expenses of up to $4,000 for single and $6,000 for multi-section manufactured homes;·        (6) pay at least $2,500 or the home's appraised value, whichever is greater, when the homeowner is unable or unwilling to relocate the home; and·        
(7) allow tenants to terminate any leases without penalty after receiving the community's closure notice.

7 comments:




  1. More Government oversight! That's un-needed...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bob Freeman, defender of the people.

    I personally would not want to live near or in a trailer park, but the people who live there are people, too.

    Everyone needs a fair amount of time to move.

    If developers are not the spawn of Satan, they should act differently.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bob Freeman, defender of the people.

    I personally would not want to live near or in a trailer park, but the people who live there are people, too.

    Everyone needs a fair amount of time to move.

    If developers are not the spawn of Satan, they should act differently.

    ReplyDelete
  4. wasn't there a small amendment in the law about keeping Mormons and muslims out?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sadly, the unintended consequence of this feel good legislation will be a reduction in trailer parks; thus, fewer housing options for lower income people. That's why Bob is also big on homeless shelters. Nice job, Bob. You stupid heartless asshole.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I consider it a good piece of legislation, although I had fun with my headline.

    ReplyDelete
  7. @ 9:27
    I think that it was actually just to keep all "fer-ners" out

    ReplyDelete

You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.