Bipartisan House bill would strengthen HUD’s grip on manufactured housing standards

U.S. Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) introduced the Streamlining Manufactured Housing Standards Act on Wednesday, which clarifies that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has the sole authority to establish energy efficiency and safety standards for manufactured housing.

“America has been grappling with a housing crisis and cutting red tape is one of the key tools to helping home builders create more housing,” Flood, a member of the House Financial Services Committee and chair of the housing and insurance subcommittee, said in a statement.

“Manufactured homes have historically been built to a HUD code, and in order to make manufactured homes a cost-effective option for consumers, we must ensure that HUD has primary authority over all manufactured housing standards. Thank you to my colleague Rep. Cleaver for helping to lead this effort, and I look forward to working together to move this legislation through our committee and the full House.”

Cleaver said that clarifying HUD’s role in energy standards ensures that federal housing experts oversee quality projects that expand manufactured housing across the country.

Recent data from McKinsey & Co. shows that advancements in technology, data and automation are making it more viable to scale manufactured housing and address the nation’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.

“I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with Chairman Flood as we seek to lower housing costs by streamlining the regulation of quality, affordable homes in communities that need them most,” Cleaver said.

Lesli Gooch, CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute, issued a statement of support for the legislation.

“For more than 50 years, our industry has partnered with HUD to help millions of Americans achieve the dream of homeownership,” she said. “The Streamlining Manufactured Housing Standards Act reaffirms HUD’s sole authority over our construction standards, preserving the integrity of this long-standing partnership. Manufactured housing is the only form of housing built to a federal construction code, and we do it at scale — delivering quality homes across the country at attainable prices.

“We commend Chairman Flood and Ranking Member Cleaver for their bipartisan leadership in protecting the regulatory efficiency that is central to this partnership,” Gooch added. “Regulatory efficiency, combined with factory-built efficiency, is the formula that makes manufactured housing the most affordable quality homeownership option available.”