Nangle bills aim to protect Maine consumers, mobile park residents

Two recent bills introduced by State Senator Tim Nangle, D-Windham, look to protect consumers and discourage predatory practices by out-of-state corporations.

In late March, Nangle introduced legislation to protect Maine consumers from hidden fees and ensure transparent pricing when booking short-term lodging or purchasing live event tickets.

His bill LD 992, “An Act to Protect Consumers from Hidden Fees and Ensure Transparent Pricing for Live Event Tickets and Short-term Lodging,” received a public hearing in the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee.

“Too often, what starts as a seemingly fair price ends as a frustrating surprise,” Nangle said. “A $100 advertised room becomes $160 by the time you reach the final screen. A $50 ticket jumps to $75 – not because the product changed but because the price wasn’t honest to begin with. This bill is about restoring trust. It’s about fairness, plain and simple. Mainers work hard for their money. They deserve straight answers, not fine print and hidden fees.”

The LD 992 legislation would require that the full cost, including any mandatory fees, be clearly disclosed whenever a price is advertised or displayed. It applies to two rapidly growing sectors where deceptive fees are particularly common: short-term rentals and live event ticketing. The bill empowers the Attorney General to enforce the new standards and allows consumers to take legal action if they’re harmed by noncompliance.

While the Federal Trade Commission has finalized a similar national rule, Nangle said during the bill’s public hearing that LD 992 reflects Maine’s core value of fairness and creates a state-level standard that is resilient against future federal policy shifts.

It now faces further action in committee.

Nangle also introduced legislation earlier this month to protect residents of mobile home parks from predatory practices by out-of-state corporate investors and ensure fair treatment during park sales or land-use changes.

His bill LD 1145, “An Act to Protect Residents Living in Mobile Home Parks,” received a public hearing before the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee.

“For many Mainers, mobile home parks are critical sources of affordable, stable housing,” Nangle said. “Too often, private equity firms swoop in solely for profit, drastically raising rents and destabilizing communities. This bill ensures residents are treated fairly and have a meaningful opportunity to preserve their homes and communities — it’s a step toward a Maine where stability, dignity and community well-being are valued over corporate profit.”

The LD 1145 bill addresses key issues faced by residents of mobile home parks by:

** Requiring mobile park owners to provide written notice to residents when they intend to sell.

** Extending the waiting period from 60 to 90 days, giving residents more time to respond.

** Establishing a clear "right of first refusal," enabling residents to match and purchase their park if they choose.

** Clarifying that park owners are not required to complete a sale if residents cannot secure financing within 90 days.

** Introducing protections when park owners intend to discontinue park use entirely, including mandatory relocation assistance funded by the owner and restrictions preventing eviction until residents are safely relocated.

During LD 1145’s public hearing, Nangle shared his family's personal experience managing a mobile home park in Massachusetts for over 70 years, emphasizing the value of community-focused ownership versus the detrimental impacts of profit-driven corporate acquisitions. He highlighted that Massachusetts law allowed residents of his family’s park to successfully purchase the community themselves, preserving affordability and stability.

Speaking in support of LD 1145, Nora Gosselin, the Director of Resident Acquisitions at the Cooperative Development Institute, shared similar insights drawn from her extensive experience assisting resident communities:

“The Opportunity to Purchase statute has been an essential stepping stone, a proof of concept,” Gosselin said. “Under this statute, two cooperatives successfully purchased their properties within the last year for $26.3M and $8M respectively, showing that residents can indeed pull off these transactions on competitive timelines and at competitive price tags. The law needs to be strengthened into a Right of First Refusal to build upon an effective model, in an environment with so many aggressive, deep-pocketed, out-of-state corporations, amid an affordable housing crisis.”

LD 1145 will now undergo further review and discussion in the committee.

Nangle represents Maine State Senate District 26, which includes Windham, Raymond, Casco, Frye Island, and part of Westbrook. <