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The debate in the Oregon House on Wednesday over whether to cap rent increases on manufactured homes fell along familiar dividing lines; Republicans called for fewer regulations and a focus on housing supply, while Democrats cautioned the measure was necessary to keep vulnerable seniors housed.
Democrats won.
Rep. Pam Marsh, a Democrat from Ashland and an architect of the bill, House Bill 3054, said when she first ran for office her legislative district had the most manufactured homes in the state. Then the 2020 Almeda fire tore through the Rogue Valley, wiping out 1,500 manufactured homes in the span of a day.
The measure, she said, was...
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Republicans showed up to the House floor prepared to fight. “It seems like this body is passing bills that make housing more expensive and then we see expensive housing,” said Republican Ed Diehl, of Scio. “Then we say, ‘Oh we need to respond to that.’” And so we do rate caps. It’s like we are in this housing doom loop.” Diehl said he wants to see vulnerable seniors remain in their manufactured homes, but the solution, he said, is to build more houses, not add more constraints. It was a refrain echoed by many Republicans. “If our goal is to help those at the very lowest income levels, especially in manufactured home parks, there are better ways to do it. We can offer tax credits or targeted subsidies to park owners who voluntarily keep rents lower for those residents,” Diehl said. “That’s a solution that helps those in need without disrupting the broader housing market.”
Well at least the Republicans of Oregon understand the realities of life and offered some good suggestions such as “tax credits and targeted subsidies” to park owners to keep rents lower. Remember that Oregon already has rent control. Now the far-left nuts that run the politics there are trying to make the percent that landlords can raise rents even lower (of course, their goal is 0%). Let’s hope the Republicans can save the day.