Earlier this week, 20 members of MHI’s Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Taskforce convened in Dallas to identify and prioritize provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act. If unchanged, Dodd-Frank will significantly burden manufactured home purchasers by adding to the cost of acquiring a loan or restrict access to/availability of financing (including related statutes, such as the SAFE Act). The taskforce also began the task of identifying regulatory and legislative remedies MHI must undertake to amend these provisions. MHI has retained the lobbying firm of Porterfield, Lowenthal, and Fettig to assist on this critical issue.

MHI will be introducing legislation with the new 112th Congress to address our needs. This issue will be the centerpiece of MHI legislative activities next year. At stake is the health and viability of the industry. Involvement from the entire MHI membership, and the entire industry, is necessary. Your involvement starts by reaching out to your members of Congress. You have an interest, you have a voice and you must play a role.

MHI will be hosting a membership-wide webinar on December 9, 2010 to assist members in how to begin to communicate with Congress on this complex issue. Details on how to register for the webinar will soon be available. Please join us.

For more information, contact MHI Vice President of Government Relations Jason Boehlert at 703-558-0660 or jboehlert@mfghome.org.