From Cronkite News and other sources, MHProNews.com learns of testimony provided by Manuel Santana, the director of engineering at Cavco, who told congressional lawmakers that failure to implement the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 has weighed heavily on the industry. “Due to the inability of the HUD Code to keep pace with these practices, it often takes months to receive the required HUD approval of these non-standard designs,” Santana, testifying on behalf of the Manufactured Housing Institute, told the House Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity. “These delays result in lost sales and unnecessary interruptions in the construction process, which ultimately lead to loss of jobs and lost economic opportunity for the industry,” said Santana. Henry Czauski, the acting deputy administrator for HUD’s Office of Manufactured Housing Programs told the committee the department has and continues to fairly and diligently implement the 2000 act in accordance with the statutory purposes to protect the quality, durability, safety and affordability of manufactured housing. Santana said an advisory committee has recommended three comprehensive updates of the code but that only one, has been adopted by HUD. The inefficiency, Santana said, has added to problems for an industry that is already reeling from a lack of financing and the uncertainty and impact of new financial services and regulations.
