NEWS & UPDATES
December 22, 2021
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- Upcoming Events
- News from Washington
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Member Resources
- MHI-OAC Sweepstakes Winners
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Register for the 2022 MHI Winter Meeting |
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Join us in New Orleans February 9-11 for the first MHI members only event of the year. This meeting brings together MHI members, in person, to hear from industry experts on topics relevant to a broad group of manufactured housing professionals. Attendees will have the opportunity to network, exchange information and help build the industry. Mark your calendar! |
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2022 Excellence in Manufactured Housing Awards Submissions Open Soon |
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The 2022 Excellence in Manufactured Housing Awards are returning soon! This annual program honors those in the manufactured and modular housing industry who continue to pave the way by providing outstanding products, customer service, creative solutions and state of the art homes. Stay tuned for submission details on both our website and the newsletter.
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Federal Appeals Court Reinstates Vaccine Mandate |
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A federal appeals court has reinstated the Administration’s vaccine and testing requirement for private businesses with at least 100 workers. The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati lifted a November injunction that had blocked the rule from OSHA. In its decision, the 6th Circuit noted that OSHA has historical precedent for using wide discretion to ensure worker safety and “demonstrated the pervasive danger that COVID-19 poses to workers—unvaccinated workers in particular—in their workplaces.” The ruling by the 6th U.S. Court of Appeals is currently being appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In addition to the vaccine and testing requirements that are set to take effect January 4, the rule requires companies to determine who among their workers are vaccinated and who are not, and to enforce a mask mandate for unvaccinated workers starting December 6. To account for any uncertainty created by the stay, OSHA is exercising enforcement discretion with respect to the compliance dates of the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10 and will not issue citations for noncompliance with the standard’s testing requirements before February 9, so long as an employer is exercising reasonable, good faith efforts to come into compliance with the standard. Click here to learn more.
As a member of the Coalition for Workplace Safety, MHI is working with a diverse group of associations and businesses calling on OSHA to make immediate changes to aspects of the ETS. MHI and the coalition are concerned about the challenges that businesses would have in implementing such a mandate. Click here to read the letter.
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OMHP Extends Industry-Wide AC Letters |
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The Office of Manufactured Housing Programs (OMHP) has issued extensions for two industry-wide Alternative Construction (AC) letters for exterior doors (21-1W1-AC) and 25-Amp circuit breakers (20-1W2-AC) through June 30, 2022. MHI has been working with OMHP to get these AC letters extended in light of the supply chain challenges. These industry-wide AC letters allows manufacturers that need the flexibility to continue production of affordable housing and does not require individual manufacturers to request approval, saving time, burdens, and costs that would otherwise be incurred with a typical AC letter. Click here and here to read the letters.
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Manufactured Housing a Central Topic at Two National Housing Events |
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Manufactured housing was a central theme at two national housing convenings about the current supply shortage of affordable housing last week. During the National Association of REALTORS’ 2021 Real Estate Forecast Summit, MHI CEO Lesli Gooch joined NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun and representatives from HUD, FHFA, realtor.com, and Florida Atlantic University to discuss the current and future state of the housing market. Click here to watch the summit. As a member of Freddie Mac’s Affordable Housing Advisory Council, Gooch again ensured manufactured housing was a key discussion point during the Council’s quarterly meeting. Alongside representatives from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and Center for Community Progress, she participated in a panel discussion moderated by Freddie Mac’s Vice President of Single Family Credit Risk Transfer about the nation’s supply shortage of affordable housing. Engagement in events like these are part of MHI’s comprehensive strategy to place manufactured housing in the national dialogue about addressing the nation’s affordable housing challenges.
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Former HUD Official Confirmed as New Ginnie Mae President |
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The U.S. Senate has confirmed Alanna McCargo as president of Ginnie Mae. Before being confirmed, McCargo worked at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a senior advisor for housing finance where MHI worked closely with her to advocate for changes to the FHA Title I and Title II loan programs for manufactured housing. Due to these advocacy efforts, recent changes to the FHA Title I program were announced at MHI’s 2021 National Communities Council Fall Leadership Forum in November. MHI looks forward to continuing to work with McCargo in her new position. |
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Sandra Thompson Nominated to be Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Regulator |
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President Biden has nominated Sandra Thompson, currently the acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), to be its permanent director. Prior to becoming the acting director, Thompson served as Deputy Director of the Division of Housing Mission and Goals where she oversaw FHFA’s housing and regulatory policy, capital policy, financial analysis, fair lending and all mission activities for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks. As her confirmation process moves forward, MHI will advocate before Congress about the importance of support for manufactured housing in the government’s mortgage financing programs to ensure that Thompson holds Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac accountable for supporting manufactured housing as a part of their statutory requirements under Duty to Serve. |
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The Manufactured Housing Educational Institute (MHEI) has a new online training program to help retailers increase sales and improve their customer’s experience.
The Professional Housing Consultant (PHC) designation, highlights what today’s buyers are looking for in manufactured housing and covers a wide variety of topics including:
- Overview of the industry including its history, regulation, and business practices.
- In-depth information about mortgage financing, including both real property and personal property loans.
- Successful sales techniques and “real world” strategies to help meet the demand of today’s manufactured home shoppers and make more sales.
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CFPB Issues Toolkit about Emergency Rental Assistance for Landlords |
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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has released a toolkit with resources for property owners to utilize in their communications with renters about applying for emergency rental assistance. From sample newsletter articles to emails to social media posts, these tools provide background about the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the steps renters can take to apply for funding. Click here to view the toolkit.
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MHI Webinars Available On-Demand |
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Did you miss an MHI webinar? Or want to go back and learn more? MHI webinars are recorded and available on MHI’s website complimentary for members. Members can view content tailored towards community owners and operators, retailers, developers and more. Simply login to the MHI website to view. A full listing of MHI’s available webinars can be viewed by clicking here.
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Map on MHI Website Showing Impact of Zoning on Manufactured Housing |
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MHI has developed an interactive map to inform members about the impacts of land use and zoning decisions on manufactured housing at state and local levels. Currently, the map utilizes several principal data sources including:
- U.S. Census Bureau demographics, data about manufactured housing, and data on median gross rent.
- The National Longitudinal Land Use Survey (NLLUS) by the Urban Institute.
- Residential Land-Use Regulation Survey from the Zell/Lurie Real Estate Center of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
- Survey of state manufactured housing laws conducted by DJ Pendleton, Executive Director, Texas Manufactured Housing Association; and MHI staff.
This map will be updated with additional levels of data and information as it becomes available. We welcome suggestions for additional data sources that could add to the usefulness of the map. Click here to view the map.
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Congratulations to the 2021 MHI-PAC
Sweepstakes Winners
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Todd Storey, The Village Green and Seymour Powersports, and Gay Westbrook, MHI, present the 2021 MHI-PAC Sweepstakes grand prize to Cale Blare in front of a model home at Clayton/Schult in Redwood Falls, MN.
The MHI-PAC Sweepstakes, the largest annual fundraiser for the industry’s only federal political action committee, celebrated its 26th year with $14,000 in prizes to 38 winners during MHI’s Annual Awards dinner in October. More than 600 individuals at MHI member companies bought Sweepstakes tickets, contributing over $77,000 to support the industry’s efforts to elect pro-MH champions to Congress.
This year’s grand prize winner, Cale Blare, sales manager at Clayton/Schult in Redwood Falls, MN, received the 2021 Polaris Sportsman 450 H.O. ATV on November 20, 2021, in a presentation by Gay Westbrook, MHI SVP, Political and Public Affairs and Todd Storey, with MHI member The Village Green and general manager of Seymour Powersports in Seymour, IN, who generously sponsored and delivered the new ATV.
Blare has supported the Sweepstakes for many years, and he provided a tour of the Schult plant and model homes after the presentation. Craig Phillips at Yes! Communities, Conklin, MI, won 2ndprize, a 4-module ProLine Deck donated by MHI member Scott Oliver at Oliver Technologies, Inc. See the complete list of MHI-PAC Sweepstakes winners.
MHI-PAC is the industry’s only federally registered political action committee that allows MHI members nationwide to pool voluntary, personal contributions to support candidates for the U. S. House and Senate who understand issues vital to factory-built housing. For information, please contact MHI’s Gay Westbrook at gwestbrook@mfghome.org.
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MHI News & Updates is a bi-weekly, members-only publication with important updates on federal legislative and regulatory activities, association accomplishments, industry events and other items important to our membership. |
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© 2021 the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Arlington, Virginia. All rights reserved. The content and works provided herein are protected under US copyright law and, where indicated, US trademark law. Without the prior written consent of MHI (which may be withheld in MHI's sole discretion), reproduction, distribution, transmission, caching or other commercialization of MHI copyrighted or trademarked material is strictly prohibited.
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