Washington, D.C., April 4, 2011 — The outgoing Chairman of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), Edward J. Hussey, has become only the third person in the 26-year history of the Association to receive its coveted “Honor and Recognition Award.” The award, a commemorative plaque and a …
Hussey Becomes Third Recipient of Coveted MHARR Award Read More
Washington, D.C., April 4, 2011 — The members of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), at their 2011 Annual Meeting in Tunica, Mississippi, have elected Mr. John Bostick, President of Sunshine Homes, Inc., Red Bay, Alabama, to become the new Chairman of the Association. Mr. Bostick succeeds …
As a follow-up to our March 3, 2011 Memorandum, set out below, for your review and information, are copies of the initial response of HUD’s career program administrator, Teresa Payne (on behalf of HUD Assistant Secretary David Stevens) to MHARR’s January 19, 2011 letter regarding the implementation of Executive Order …
Over the past twelve years, the manufactured housing industry has been decimated. Every segment of the industry has felt the pain as production has tanked, plants have closed and jobs have disappeared. The impact has been no less harsh for consumers — particularly lower and moderate-income families — many of whom have seen their dreams of home-ownership erased by the same factors propelling the industry’s decline. Through good economic times and bad, while the market for other types of housing has been up and down, the trajectory of the HUD Code industry for over a decade has gone in one direction — downward.
Washington, D.C., February 23, 2011 — The February 2011 release of the Fiscal Year 2012 budget and appropriations request of the HUD manufactured housing program underscores the urgent need for intensive congressional scrutiny, examination and oversight of that runaway budget, as well as direct accountability by HUD regulators for the misdirection of funds previously appropriated, as already called for by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR).
Attached is a copy of a HUD proposed rule to amend Subpart I (Consumer Complaint Handling and Remedial Actions) of the Procedural and Enforcement Regulations, published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2011. It is important that you carefully review this proposed rule with your regulatory, technical and legal personnel for any possible input, as MHARR will be submitting comments to HUD on behalf of manufacturers. In addition, both this proposal and MHARR’s analysis of its elements and potential impact will be fully addressed at MHARR’s upcoming meeting in Tunica, Mississippi. Written comments on the proposed rule are due on or before April 18, 2011.
Washington, D.C., January 26, 2011 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) has submitted testimony to a key congressional committee detailing the drastic decline of the federally-regulated manufactured housing industry and urging Congress to intervene and conduct further oversight into the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development …
MHARR Testimony Urges Congressional Intervention to Revive Industry Read More
An important aspect of the decline of the federal manufactured housing program that has largely gone under the radar in recent years and threatens now to subject the industry and consumers to a mountain of costly new de facto regulation, is the ever-expanding relationship between the program and paid contractors, while the role, involvement and funding of state agencies has correspondingly diminished. Consequently, MHARR is now moving to address such funding aspects of the federal program with Congress.
Washington, D.C., December 14, 2010 – Ten years after the enactment of the landmark Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 – watershed legislation passed unanimously by both houses of Congress in order to complete the transition of manufactured housing from the “trailers” of yesteryear to legitimate “housing” and ensure its parity with all other types of homes – the promise of that law, for both the industry and consumers, remains unfilled.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Spencer Bachus (AL-6), Chairman-elect of the House Financial Services Committee, today announced his appointments for committee leadership positions in the 112th Congress. In addition to naming the vice chairman and subcommittee leaders, Bachus announced plans to modify subcommittee jurisdictions to promote a more efficient and balanced work-load for committee members.
The Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC), at its October 2010 meeting, tabled a HUD-MHI (Manufactured Housing Institute) proposal for an “as needed” federal fire sprinkler standard (one that supposedly would apply where sprinklers are voluntarily installed by the manufacturer or required for all homes by state or local law). Actually, sprinklers in manufactured homes should not even be an issue, and HUD, judging by recent comments, being unwilling to implement the enhanced preemption of the 2000 reform law, would be just as happy to stay out of the matter. But it is being drawn into this fray to appease a few larger companies that – spooked by local sprinkler standards in some Western states – are pushing this “as needed” shortcut. Predictably, however, it will come back to haunt the industry and its consumers. As explained below, therefore, the MHCC should deep-six this flawed shortcut.
Washington, D.C., November 29, 2010 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) has called upon the General Counsel and Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to intervene personally to ensure that the Department fully discloses responsive documents, as required by law, to a request filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that it has thus far been reluctant to answer. That November 2009 FOIA request was filed in order to obtain documents and information regarding the apparent involvement of HUD officials (and agents) in closed-door meetings and related activities where a dramatic ongoing expansion of the in-plant regulation of manufactured housing producers was planned, developed and/or modified, contrary to relevant law.
Washington, D.C., November 18, 2010 — The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) has called on Congress to reject a major proposed increase in the appropriation for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) manufactured housing program and instead direct HUD to provide more appropriated program funding to its state partners.
Washington, D.C., November 9, 2010 – In an action reflecting the prevailing mood of the country toward efforts to correct the nation’s struggling economy, the Board of Directors of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), in the wake of the November 2010 midterm elections, has recalibrated the Association’s policies and agenda in an effort to fully engage and aggressively combat the industry’s persisting twin problems of scarce consumer financing and regulatory excesses. The Association has been directed by its Board to confront these two major issues by substantially raising the profile of the federal manufactured housing program and consumer finance laws, rapidly intensifying its approach to relevant federal agencies, the Administration and the new Congress regarding these matters, and, ultimately, by pursuing other remedies, if necessary.
Pursuant to several inquiries received at MHARR offices this week, attached [download here]for your review and information is a copy of the Ginnie Mae’s recent announcement of the launching of its securitization program for institutions who wish to apply, qualify and participate in the new FHA Title I Manufactured Home …
Ginnie Mae Launches FHA Title I Securitization Program Read More
Over the past two years, HUD has engaged in a drive to incrementally undermine the statutory role, authority and independence of the MHCC and transform it into a toothless clone of the National Manufactured Housing Advisory Council that Congress disbanded in the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000. It is essential that the MHCC go on record to oppose and reject this effort to render it either irrelevant or subservient. Below are just a few examples of the way that the MHCC is being undermined by HUD:
Prior to the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, the HUD program routinely used “interpretations” – developed behind closed doors without the involvement or input of the public or program stakeholders – to change the meaning of existing standards and regulations, and to impose new de facto requirements.
The MHCC should reject the federal fire sprinkler standard for manufactured housing (and related enforcement) as proposed by HUD and expanded and embellished by the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). The rationalizations that have been offered for such an unnecessary and costly standard are deceptive, misleading and, ultimately, wrong.
MEETING OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS MHCC DISAPPROVES HUD-IMPOSED CHARTER AND BYLAWS MHCC URGES HUD TO RE-ASSESS ENHANCED PREEMPTION MHCC DEFERS ACTION ON HUD-MHI SPRINKLER PROPOSALS HUD STILL BYPASSING MHCC ON EXPANDED REGULATION MHCC TO FURTHER EXPLORE CRAWLSPACE INLETS MHCC ACTION ON ENERGY/FORMALDEHYDE PROPOSALS MHARR POSITIONS GAIN SUPPORT FROM MHCC MHARR positions …
Washington Update – MHCC Meeting – Exclusive Report Read More
As we have previously reported, the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) will hold its second 2010 in-person meeting next week in Washington, D.C. Although currently not a voting member of the MHCC, MHARR representatives will attend the meeting and will provide information and input to the MHCC (with feedback to …
MHCC October 27-28, 2010 Meeting in Washington, D.C. Read More
