As thousands of MHPros know, the manufactured housing (MH) industry is represented in DC by two different associations. There is MHI – the Manufactured Housing Institute and MHARR – the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform. Each of these is currently pursing rather different courses of action.
MHI
MHI’s primary focus has been Dodd-Frank reform. Getting the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (HR 650/S 682) passed is the big ask on Capitol Hill. There are other goals and items on the wish list, but HR 650/S 682 is at the top of the list, for understandable reasons.
It goes without saying that MHProNews and our sister platform has been supportive of that effort. Our latest on that subject, with numerous cross-links for depth of understanding, is here:
MHARR
By contrast on the finance front, MHARR is pursuing GSE reform and implementation of the Duty to Serve. The non-profits happen to favor something similar. We periodically raise that topic too, because technically it is already the law, passed as part of HERA 2008. With Mel Watt at FHFA, there is certainly a possibility that it could be advanced on the regulatory front.
Where MHI and MHARR (politely) disagree is on the Department of Energy (DOE) standards that are inching towards finalization. MHARR’s latest on this could be summed up in Matthew Silver’s recent brief, linked below.
In the case of DOE standards, MHI and the non-profits are closer to being on the same page. We published a more in-depth report on this topic, wrapping it around a report that came from the NAHB which MHARR pointed to with great vigor. That report is linked below.
From time to time, it is important to step back and simply look around. Who is pursuing what and why? What do you see and think?
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