Past Legislative Victories



1980
APAC is founded as the “Anoka People's Alliance for Change” to address the needs of low and moderate income individuals. Over 70 citizens attended the first meeting at Blaine High School, which covered issues of inadequate public transportation, lack of low cost health care, and other issues. APAC later evolved into “All Parks Alliance for Change” becoming an effective voice for manufactured home park residents. APAC obtained increased health care funding for low to moderate income individuals provided for under the Hill-Burton Act.

1982
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to eliminate no cause eviction, prevent retaliatory eviction and establish storm shelter standards. The bill was signed into law on March 22, 1982.

1983
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to bar so-called 15-year clauses in leases. These clauses allowed park owners to prohibit in-park sales of older homes, forcing residents with older homes to either demolish the home or move it out of the park at their own expense. Residents now have the right to sell a home within the park regardless of the age as long as it is in compliance with park rules.

1987
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to authorize municipalities to require park owners and/or purchasers to provide relocation compensation in the event of a park closing. APAC also successfully pushed a storm shelter law allowing for stricter enforcement of shelter requirements. It gives cities the authority to order park owners to construct shelters if an evacuation plan is determined to be inadequate.

1989
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature for to allow cooperative and nonprofit owned parks to homestead. This tax change reduces the costs of park conversions by lowering property taxes about 65%.

1991
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature for to create a right of first refusal in the event that a park is sold for redevelopment within one year of that sale. Residents or an authorized nonprofit are given 45-days to match the terms and conditions of the sale.

1994
Working with the Legal Service Advocacy Project, APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to pass three bills: (1) a requirement that home repossession actions take place in the county in which the home is located; (2) a requirement that park residents receive a copy of the park's evacuation plan and a certificate of rent paid form; and (3) a prohibition on restrictive zoning against parks.

1997
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to require parks to provide criteria used for evaluating prospective tenants.

2005
APAC stopped passage of a bill that would have allowed park owners to break lease agreements and charge for water, even if it was already included in lot rent.

2006
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to require that park closing notices be sent to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency and the Minnesota Department of Health.

2007
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to guarantee compensation for manufactured home park residents displaced as the result of a park closing. The Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund created in response to the growing threat around the state of park closures. This program guarantees that if all or part of a park is closed a displaced home owner will receive reasonable compensation to move the home, or, if it cannot be moved, a buy out for the value of their home.

2008
APAC successfully lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to establish the Manufactured Home Lending Practices Bill, a law that protects homeowners from predatory lending practices, such as charging for services that aren’t performed, as well as extending the foreclosure process on manufactured homes giving homeowners more time and resources to prevent the loss of their homes. APAC works with Woodlyn Court the first community to close under the Relocation Trust Fund to ensure the process operates properly and residents receive full compensation. APAC hires its first Democracy Project organizer in order to engage residents in the 2008 elections and in the following legislative session.

2009
APAC strengthened the Relocation Trust Fund by requiring collection of the fees from park owners. APAC established and participated in a manufactured housing transportation project working group with MnDOT and local transportation authorities that lead to MnDOT guidelines that favor avoiding parks, replacing parks, and providing full relocation compensation. APAC organized and lobbied with residents to halt road projects in Arden Hills and force MnDOT to form a working group with residents in Shakopee.

2010
APAC established the right to choose your home installation option rather than having to accept the most expensive option. As a result of APAC's efforts, manufactured homeowners now have access for the first time to the Right-of-Way Acquisition Fund (RALF) when road projects take their homes, and property tax treatment is comparable to the lower rate for site-built homes for homeowners who live in resident-owned parks.

2011
APAC prevented the park owners from passing legislation to allow them to break leases with residents in order to install sub-meters and separately charge, over and above lot rent, for water and sewer. APAC had attempted to negotiate a mutually acceptable compromise that protected the residents' rights as consumers, but ultimately had to oppose the legislation.

2015
APAC prevented the park owners from passing legislation that would have given investor-owned parks the same tax breaks as nonprofit or resident-owned parks and, as a result, made residents ineligible to file for the rent credit refund.

2016
APAC successfully lobbied for changes in the Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund to provide significantly more to either move or replace a home when a park is closed for private redevelopment: $7,000 for a single-wide home or $12,500 for a double-wide home to move; or $8,000 for a single-wide and $14,500 for a double-wide to buyout the home if it cannot be moved. Also, a minimum home buyout amount was created: $2,000 for a single-wide home and $4,000 for a double-wide home.

2018
APAC successfully lobbied to create a manufactured home park infrastructure fund to support improvements in parks committed to providing long-term access to affordable housing, although no funds were appropriated.

2019
APAC successfully lobbied for a package of manufactured housing bills. We closed loopholes, clarified and strengthened the Right of First Refusal process, in order to preserve the residents’ right to purchase their parks, to allow them to challenge failures to comply with the law, and to halt unlawful sales. We made several change to ensure sufficient money is available by authorizing the state to advance up to $400,000 if needed. We increased the minimum park closure notice from 9 to 12 months. We supported expanding the eligibility of state affordable housing funds to cover manufactured housing. We also supported appropriating $2 million for the manufactured home park infrastructure fund created in 2018.

2020
APAC successfully lobbied for a package of COVID-19 pandemic responses. APAC lobbied for $100 million in CARES Act funds to be used for housing assistance and, for the first time, to make lot rent and manufactured home payments eligible for this assistance. This led to the creation of the COVID Housing Assistance Program (CHAP).