HOUSE BILL 546
48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007
INTRODUCED BY
Jim R. Trujillo
AN ACT
RELATING TO MANUFACTURED HOUSING; ENLARGING POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE MANUFACTURED HOUSING DIVISION OF THE REGULATION AND LICENSING DEPARTMENT; PROVIDING PENALTIES; AMENDING SECTIONS OF THE NMSA 1978.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. Section 60-14-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1978, Chapter 80, Section 1, as amended) is amended to read:
"60-14-4. POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIVISION.--The division shall:
A. prepare, administer and grade examinations for licensure under the classification sought by each applicant;
B. issue licenses and certificates of qualification in accordance with the provisions of the Manufactured Housing Act;
C. establish and collect fees authorized to be collected by the division pursuant to the Manufactured Housing Act;
D. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt rules and regulations relating to the construction, repair, modification, installation, tie-down, hookup and sale of all manufactured homes, which regulations shall be uniform throughout the state and shall be enforced by inspectors for the division to insure minimum standards of safety within the state and any of its political subdivisions. Ordinances of any political subdivision of New Mexico relating to gas, including natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas or synthetic natural gas; electricity; sanitary plumbing; and installation or sale of manufactured homes shall not be inconsistent with any rules, regulations, codes or standards adopted by the division pursuant to the Manufactured Housing Act;
E. adopt a budget and submit it to the regulation and licensing department for approval;
F. make an annual report to the superintendent of regulation and licensing concerning the operations of the division. The report shall contain the division's recommendations for legislation that it deems necessary to improve the licensing and the ethical and technical practices of the manufactured housing industry and to protect the public welfare;
G. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt such rules, regulations, codes and standards as are necessary to carry out the provisions of the Manufactured Housing Act;
H. prepare a uniform manufacturer's warranty and require its adoption as a condition of licensure by all manufacturers of manufactured homes doing business in New Mexico;
I. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt by regulation the mobile home construction and safety standards contained in the National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq., as amended;
J. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt by regulation the mobile home procedural and enforcement regulations, 24 C.F.R. 3282, as amended, promulgated by the department of housing and urban development pursuant to the National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq., as amended;
K. issue permits and provide for a single inspection of every installation in New Mexico, regardless of the location;
L. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt regulations prescribing standards for the installation or use of electrical wiring; the installation of all fixtures, plumbing, consumer's gas pipe, including natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and synthetic natural gas, appliances and materials installed in the course of mechanical installation; and the construction, alteration, installation and repair of all manufactured homes intended for use in flood or mudslide areas designated pursuant to Section 3-18-7 NMSA 1978. The regulations shall give due regard to standards prescribed by the federal insurance administration pursuant to regulation 1910, Subsection 7(d), 79 Stat. 670, Section 1361, 82 Stat. 587 and 82 Stat. 5757, all as amended, and shall give due regard to physical, climatic and other conditions peculiar to New Mexico;
M. conduct "inspector schools" so that each inspector under the division's jurisdiction is capable of giving a complete one-time inspection for the sufficiency of unit installation, construction and mechanical and electrical systems;
N. enter into cooperative agreements with federal agencies relating to manufactured housing and accept and use federal grants, matching funds or other financial assistance to further the purposes of the Manufactured Housing Act. The division may enter into agreements with municipalities and counties to provide for the inspection of manufactured homes by employees of municipalities and counties, to be performed under the supervision and control of the division. The division may allow all or a portion of the inspection fee collected by a local public body to be retained by the local public body. The portion of the fee retained shall be determined by the division and shall be related to the completeness of the inspection performed;
O. administer oaths through any member of the division, the director or a hearing officer;
P. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt rules and regulations for the conducting of hearings and the presentation of views, consistent with the regulations promulgated by the department of housing and urban development, 24 C.F.R. 3282.151 through 3282.156, as amended;
Q. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt by regulation a requirement that dealers, repairmen and installers provide to consumers warranties on their product and work and prescribe by regulation minimum requirements of such warranties;
R. coordinate with and qualify inspectors for any multiple inspection program provided by the construction industries division of the regulation and licensing department for inspection of manufactured homes; [and]
S. subject to the approval of the committee, adopt regulations, codes and standards for manufactured homes used for nonresidential purposes; provided such manufactured [home] homes being used for nonresidential purposes on [the effective date of this act] May 18, 1988 shall not be required to meet Uniform Building Code standards, except as to requirements for access to the handicapped, but manufactured homes being used for nonresidential purposes after [the effective date] May 18, 1988 shall be required to meet Uniform Building Code standards. [T.] None of the provisions contained in [Subsection S of Section 60-14-4 NMSA 1978] this subsection shall apply to retailers licensed by the motor vehicle division of the taxation and revenue department; and
T. with the approval of the superintendent of regulation and licensing, employ such personnel as the director deems necessary for the exclusive purposes of investigating violations of the Manufactured Housing Act, enforcing Section 60-14-17 NMSA 1978 and instituting legal action in the name of the division to enforce the provisions of Section 60-14-19 NMSA 1978."
Section 2. Section 60-14-19 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1983, Chapter 295, Section 24) is amended to read:
"60-14-19. PENALTIES.--
A. Any person who knowingly and willfully violates a provision of the Manufactured Housing Act or any rule, regulation or administrative order of the committee or division in a manner that threatens the health or safety of any purchaser or consumer [commits] is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or shall be confined in the county jail not longer than one year or both.
B. In any action brought to enforce any provision of the Manufactured Housing Act, the [attorney general] division, upon petition to the court, may recover on behalf of the state a civil penalty not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each violation, except that the maximum civil penalty may not exceed one million dollars ($1,000,000) for any related series of violations occurring within one year from the date of the first violation.
C. Failure by a manufacturer or dealer to comply with the warranty provisions of the Manufactured Housing Act or any implied warranties or the violation of any provision of the Manufactured Housing Act by any person is an unfair or deceptive trade practice in addition to those practices defined in the Unfair Practices Act and is actionable pursuant to the Unfair Practices Act. As such, the venue provisions and all remedies available in the Unfair Practices Act apply to and are in addition to the remedies in the Manufactured Housing Act.
D. The director may issue a license to an applicant who at any time within one year prior to making an application has acted as an unlicensed dealer, broker, salesperson, repairman, manufacturer or installer in New Mexico without a license as required by the division if:
(1) the applicant in addition to all other requirements for licensure pays an additional fee as follows:
(a) in an amount up to ten percent of the contract price or the value of the unlicensed work in the discretion of the committee; or
(b) if the applicant has bid or offered a price on a project and was not the successful bidder or offeror, the fee shall be at least one percent but not more than five percent of the total bid amount in the discretion of the committee; and
(2) the director is satisfied that no incident of unlicensed work:
(a) caused monetary damage to any person; or
(b) resulted in an unresolved consumer complaint being filed against the applicant or the division.
E. Any unlicensed person who has performed unlicensed work may settle the claims against that unlicensed person without becoming licensed if the claims arise from that person's first offense and that person pays an administrative fee calculated pursuant to Paragraph (1) of Subsection D of this section. In addition to the administrative fee, an additional ten percent of the amount of the administrative fee shall be assessed as a service fee.
F. If the total fee to be paid by the unlicensed person pursuant to the provisions of Subsection D or E of this section is twenty-five dollars ($25.00) or less, the fee may be waived by the director."
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