Pamela Beck Danner to Become the Administrator for the Office of Manufactured Housing at HUD 

On March 6th, MHI announced to its members the selection of Pamela Beck Danner to become the new Administrator for the Office of Manufactured Housing at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to sources, on March 5th HUD notified Congress that Ms. Danner had been chosen for the job through a competitive civil service process.

MHI’s Financial Services and CFPB Updates 

House Passes CFPB Transparency Bill; DOA in Senate

On February 27th, the House of Representatives passed legislation (H.R. 3193) that would make structural reforms to the CFPB.

Specifically, the measure would:

• Replace the CFPB Director with a five-member commission, appointed by the President and subject to Senate confirmation

• Subject the CFPB to the appropriations process and establish it as a stand-alone independent agency-currently, the bureau receives its funding through the Federal Reserve, which is not subject to appropriations or Congressional oversight

• Sets the pay rate of CFPB employees in accordance with the General Services (GS) scale

The reforms outlined in the bill are ones that Congressional Republicans have been seeking for the agency for the past few years. Similar legislation passed the House during the 112th Congress, but was never taken up by the Senate.

The Senate is not expected to take up the measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has repeatedly voiced his opposition to reforming the structure of the CFPB.

Sweeping Tax Reform Not Likely for 2014

It seems that no session of the United States Congress is complete without some discussion on comprehensive tax reform. This year will be no exception as Rep. David Camp (R-MI), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, recently released a draft of his plan to overhaul the nation’s tax system. However, comments following the plan’s release leave doubt as to how far tax reform will actually go in 2014.

HUD’s FY 2015 Budget Outlines Priorities for the Manufactured Housing Program – Requests Label Fee Increase

The Obama Administration’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget, presented to Congress earlier this week, proposes to fund the HUD Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards program at a level of $10 million. To meet this budget, HUD plans to propose a label fee increase of up to $100 per floor, and expects to have a new fee in place later this year. Under current law, HUD will need to conduct rulemaking, including justifying any fee increase and asking the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) to consider its proposal. However, the proposal says that HUD plans to seek a legislative change authorizing it to set future fee changes via notice, rather than full blown rulemaking.

Countdown to Vegas – Register Today for the 2014 National Congress & Expo to be Held

April 29 – May 1, 2014

The 2014 Congress & Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing is only two months away.  Click here to register for the 2014 Congress & Expo. Early-bird registration is available until March 28, 2014. The drawing has taken place for the winner chosen from the first 100 paid registrations to win an ipad or complimentary registration. Find out who won by clicking here and liking us on Facebook.

Make your hotel reservation online or call Caesars Palace at 866-227-5944. To receive the low rate of $119 per night, ask for the MHI Congress & Expo room block or mention our group code SCMHI4. The deadline for the early-bird rate expires on March 28, 2014.

The Congress & Expo is the largest annual gathering of industry leaders featuring outstanding speakers, workshops, exhibits, and networking opportunities!www.congressandexpo.com for details on this event. The theme for this year’s event is Creating Opportunities – Building Success.

Your Congress & Expo registration fee includes:

• Full Access to the Exhibit Hall

• Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall

• Wednesday Breakfast and Keynote Speaker Ken Segall

• Awards Luncheon

• Educational Workshops

• Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall

• Thursday Breakfast and General Session Speaker Chris Fisher

• Coffee breaks throughout each morning

• Complimentary WiFi in the Exhibit Hall, General Sessions, & Educational Workshops

The 10th Annual Oliver Technologies, Inc. Golf Tournament on Monday afternoon, April 28th and Tuesday’s MHI-National Communities Council Spring Forum, April 29th are available for additional fees.

Reserve Your Exhibit Booth Space Today – Space is Filling Quickly!

For information on exhibiting, please click here to view the floor plan, booth prices, the list of 2014 exhibitors and to reserve your booth space. Booth prices have been reduced which makes exhibiting at the Congress & Expo an even greater value.

Sponsors

Interested in sponsoring? Excellent opportunities are available – click here and look under Tradeshow Sponsorship, Exhibiting and Advertising Opportunities. New sponsorship opportunities were added for 2014, so take a look!

Thanks to the following sponsors for helping make this event possible.

Platinum Sponsors

Marcus & Millichap

Oliver Technologies, Inc.

RHP Properties, Inc.

Sunstone Manufactured Housing Consultants

Gold Sponsors

Assurant Specialty Property

Inspire Communities

UMH Properties, Inc.

Wells Fargo

YES! Communities

Silver Sponsors

CU Factory Built Lending

Lippert Components, Inc.

MHVillage, Inc.

Shaw Industries, Specialty Markets

Southeast Auction Company

Bronze Sponsors

CBRE National MHRV Team

Riverstone Communities

Style Crest, Inc.

U.S. Bank

Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association Annual Meeting

March 19 – 20, 2014

Contact: Tracy Henry (717) 774-3440

2014 Tunica Show

March 26 – 28, 2014

Contact: Dennis Hill (770) 587-3350

Eastern Ohio Home Show to be Held on May 16-18, 2014

The Ohio Manufactured Homes Association will hold the Eastern Ohio Home Show on May 16-18, 2014 at the MAPS Air Field and Museum in North Canton, OH. Click here for information on this event. The following applications are available for advertising, exhibiting, registering, sponsoring and/or displaying a home.

MHI Welcomes New Members that Have Joined this Year and Thanks the Companies that Have Renewed Membership for 2014

MHI welcomes the following new members that have joined this year:

Advanced Distributor

Products LLC

Mission Peak Capital

PayLease

Purchasing Platform

Steel Dynamics Structural & Rail Division