The Texas Manufactured Housing Association (TMHA) informs MHProNews that both houses of the legislature voted to allow modular buildings and housing to be built four stories high, or 60 feet. Several of TMHA’s members expressed an interest in building modular hotels, multi-family and assisted living facilities in order to compete with other builders. Originally, modular buildings could only go a high as three stories. The governor signed the bill and it took effect Sept. 1, 2015.

In the legislation-that-did-not pass department, Sen. Lucio filed three bills that addressed replacing unsafe and uninhabitable housing. The goal was to identify unsafe homes and subsidize the demolishing and replacement of those homes, using sales tax revenue from the sale of manufactured homes as the funding source. Currently, the sale of manufactured homes (MH) generates approximately $17 million a year.

One of the bills would have targeted half the funds to replace the unsafe homes with MH, while another allowed all forms of housing as a replacement option.

Monthly figures from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) indicate Texas is far-and-away the number one shipment state for MH. ##

(Image credit: Texas Manufactured Housing Association)

Article submitted by Matthew J. Silver to Daily Business News-MHProNews.