[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5160-H5162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF MANUFACTURED HOUSING IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1010) recognizing the importance of 
manufactured housing in the United States.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1010

       Whereas manufactured housing plays a vital role in meeting 
     the housing needs of the people of the United States and is 
     an important source of quality, affordable housing, including 
     both homeownership and rental housing;
       Whereas the manufactured housing industry in the United 
     States has approximately $6,000,000,000 annually in sales and 
     employs approximately 70,000 people in factories and retail 
     centers alone;
       Whereas 18,000,000 people in the United States, 
     representing all segments of the population, including 
     emerging demographics, live in manufactured homes;
       Whereas because it is an important source of affordable 
     housing, manufactured housing is a critical part of the 
     solution to the ongoing crisis in the housing market in this 
     Nation;
       Whereas the factory production process provides 
     manufactured housing with technological advantages, value, 
     and customization options for consumers seeking quality 
     housing and sustainable homeownership;
       Whereas manufactured homes are built to a national standard 
     under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and 
     Safety Standards Act of 1974, which governs construction, 
     engineering, quality, safety, and systems performance;
       Whereas that Act supports innovation, consumer safety, 
     efficiency, and quality while preserving the affordability 
     and customization of manufactured housing;
       Whereas creating affordable homeownership opportunities 
     helps build communities and requires the cooperation of the 
     private and public sectors, including the Federal Government 
     and State and local governments;
       Whereas the laws of the United States, such as the 
     Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, encourage 
     manufactured housing homeownership and should continue to do 
     so in the future;
       Whereas June is designated as National Homeownership Month; 
     and
       Whereas the third week of June is recognized as 
     Manufactured Housing Week: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the importance of manufactured housing in 
     providing decent, sustainable, and affordable housing;
       (2) recognizes the importance of manufactured housing in 
     contributing to homeownership in the United States;
       (3) recognizes the importance of homeownership, including 
     homeownership of manufactured homes, in building strong 
     communities and families; and
       (4) recognizes and fully supports the goals and ideals of 
     Manufactured Housing Week and National Homeownership Month.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Donnelly) and the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. 
Capito) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation.

[[Page H5161]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Today, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1010, a 
resolution honoring the importance of manufactured housing to our 
country.
  As we celebrate homeownership during the month of June, we also honor 
the third week of this month as Manufactured Housing Month, recognizing 
that manufactured homes offer hardworking American families the option 
to purchase quality homes at an affordable price.
  This $8 billion a year industry provides jobs for people not only in 
the Second District of Indiana, but throughout our country. More than 
18 million people live in over 10.5 million homes. I have seen 
firsthand in my district how these homes have continued a tradition of 
quality and safe construction over the years. They present a high-
quality, affordable housing option for all families.
  Mr. Speaker, manufactured housing has come a long way over the years, 
and often people cannot tell the difference between a modular home and 
a site-built home. Manufactured homes have a factory production process 
which provides technological advantages, value, and customization 
options for consumers seeking quality housing and sustainable 
homeownership.
  Additionally, manufactured homes are built to a national standard 
under the HUD Code, which governs the construction, the engineering, 
the quality, safety, and systems performance. The HUD Code supports 
innovation, consumer safety, efficiency, and quality while preserving 
manufactured housing's affordability and its customization.
  We have all witnessed the ongoing turmoil in the housing market, and 
I believe it is essential that we look to affordable manufactured 
housing as a viable solution to this problem.
  Creating affordable homeownership is one of the fundamental building 
blocks of our society, and it plays a fundamental role in achieving the 
American Dream. It helps to provide families with economic security and 
build strong communities.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution today and pass House 
Resolution 1010.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1010, 
which recognizes the importance of manufactured housing in the United 
States.
  Manufactured housing plays an important role in meeting this 
country's housing needs and is an important source of quality, 
affordable housing, including both homeownership and rental housing. In 
recent years, manufactured housing placements accounted for more than 
one-quarter of all new housing starts.
  Despite the country's overall drop in home prices, the need for 
quality, affordable housing has never been greater. Because it is an 
important source of affordable housing, manufactured housing should be 
viewed as a critical part of the solution to the ongoing troubles in 
our housing market.
  Today's manufactured homes can deliver quality dwellings and at 
prices ranging from 10 to 35 percent less per square foot than 
conventional site-built homes. These savings allow more and more 
Americans to own their own home or access affordable rental housing 
units.
  The manufactured housing industry has evolved in the last decade to 
deliver a better quality, more affordable product. The affordability of 
manufactured housing is mainly attributable to the efficiency of the 
factory process. The controlled environment and assembly-line 
techniques remove many of the problems of the site-built sector, such 
as poor weather, theft, vandalism, and damage to building products and 
materials stored onsite. Also, factory employees are trained, 
scheduled, and managed by one employer as opposed to the system of 
contracted labor on a site-built sector.
  As a Congress, we must do all we can do encourage affordable rental 
and homeownership opportunities for all Americans. Today's manufactured 
housing industry helps build communities and supports innovation, 
consumer safety, efficiency, and quality while preserving the 
affordability and customization of its housing units.
  The legislation before us recognizes and fully supports the goals and 
ideals of Manufactured Housing Week, and I urge my colleagues to 
support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may need to the 
cochair of the Manufactured Housing Caucus, Mr. Etheridge of North 
Carolina.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. I thank my friend, Congressman Donnelly, for yielding 
to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H. Res. 1010, recognizing the 
importance of manufactured housing in the United States.
  Unfortunately, far too many homeowners are facing difficulties during 
this current National Homeownership Month. Housing prices are dropping, 
home sales are stagnating, and thousands of families are facing the 
prospect of foreclosure.
  Manufactured housing can provide a sustainable and affordable housing 
alternative. Instead of being trapped in exotic mortgages with high 
interest rates, many Americans can choose cost-effective manufactured 
housing. This sector of the housing market has also experienced an 
evolution in the types and quality of homes that they build, offering a 
wide array of designs that can fit the needs of more families.
  In addition, Congress has passed legislation that provides tax 
credits for the builders of these homes to meet energy efficiency 
standards. These Energy Star labeled homes are more energy efficient 
and can provide savings in the face of rising energy costs.
  Manufactured housing can be a critical component in achieving two of 
HUD's most important priorities, providing increased affordable 
housing, and reducing dependencies on subsidized housing.
  In addition, as a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I also 
recognize the importance that manufactured housing can play in the wake 
of a natural disaster. Manufactured housing can provide a quick, safe, 
and efficient way to house these victims and provide families with 
shelters as they put their lives back together.
  Owning a home is a large part of the American Dream. I support this 
resolution as well as the goals and ideals of Manufactured Housing 
Week. I urge my colleagues to vote for the passage of H.R. 1010.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may 
consume to my colleague from Indiana (Mr. Souder).
  Mr. SOUDER. I thank the gentlelady.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 1010. As a cosponsor of my neighbor and 
colleague Mr. Donnelly's resolution, I appreciate his leadership.
  I very much appreciate Chairman Frank's backing this and Congressman 
Capito, and others, because this is an important resolution to 
recognize the importance of manufactured housing, particularly in the 
third week of June as the Manufactured Housing Week.
  As you've already heard, manufactured housing is a largely 
underappreciated segment of our Nation's housing industry, even though 
it uniquely provides both high-quality and affordable housing for 
millions of Americans.
  Companies in my district are numerous across northern--and 
particularly north central--Indiana--the center of the recreational 
vehicles industry, as well as manufactured housing. Fairmont in 
Nappanee, Four Seasons in Middlebury, Patriot in Elkhart, as well as 
Liberty in Goshen. Forest River has the Hart Homes. We have Coachman. 
Fleetwood has a huge facility just south of Fort Wayne in Decatur, 
Schulte Homes. And I could go on with a list. Up to 4,000 jobs in the 
Third Congressional District in Indiana are related to manufactured 
housing directly.
  Most Americans do not understand how far this housing industry has 
developed, and the industry suffers from many unfair stereotypes. No 
longer is manufactured housing the domain of so-called trailer parks on 
the outskirts of town. In fact, many Americans, even in the typical 
leafy subdivisions, share a fence with a manufactured home and they 
don't even know it. For example,

[[Page H5162]]

this one from Liberty Homes shows the island kitchen. You see them with 
vaulted ceilings, four- and five-bedroom homes only for 20, 30, $40,000 
less than a site-built home.

                              {time}  1600

  For example, a beautiful two-story deluxe 2,000-square-foot 
multisectional home in my district can sell for just over $100,000, as 
I said, 10 to 35 percent less than a site-built home. They also gain in 
energy efficiency. The quality of manufactured homes was shown by the 
fact that on the gulf coast, among those that best withstood the high 
winds of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were manufactured homes. Indeed, 
in some neighborhoods, manufactured homes were the only ones left 
standing after the storms blew through.
  Given manufactured housing's dual strength in both superior price and 
quality, we need to recognize and salute this industry. It is a 
frustrating time in housing as we look at the those who took advantage 
in the financing end of people's ability to repay or overvalued the 
homes. But we need to make sure that low- and middle-income people who 
are striving for better housing can still have access to affordable 
housing, and manufactured housing is a critical part of that.
  We have also seen much alarm in nonscientific facts relating to 
formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is in the wood. It is not in any particular 
kind of housing. It's on this House floor. It's in these seats. It's in 
the Speaker's podium. The question is the size and scale of the unit 
because formaldehyde is a repellant and an adhesive. And we need to 
have scientific facts. The fact is that all homes contain wood. It has 
nothing to do with any particular category. And many thousands of 
people can have their jobs endangered because of nonscientific 
political bashing of particular categories. Manufactured housing, in 
fact, has the same characteristics in this regard as traditional site-
built housing.
  We also need to make sure that as we look at down payment 
requirements, and how we deal with very difficult subjects as we go 
into the housing market, that we understand that manufactured homes, in 
fact, have the same appreciation as site-built homes. It is just often 
because they are more affordable, the individuals may not have the same 
income mix. And we need to figure out a way to make sure that people 
have access to good quality housing, and that is the American Dream.
  I thank the thousands of workers in my district, Mr. Donnelly's 
district and across this entire Nation who are providing affordable 
housing so people can live the American Dream.
  Mr. DONNELLY. I want to thank my good friend, Mr. Souder, from the 
district right next to me. We work together on so many issues. I also 
thank Mrs. Capito.
  I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield as much time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney).
  Mr. FEENEY. I thank the gentlelady. I thank my good friend, Mr. 
Donnelly, and Chairman Frank.
  Manufactured housing, as has been said, plays a vital role in meeting 
the needs of families to get affordable, attractive and safe housing 
throughout our country. There are some 18 million Americans that live 
in manufactured housing in America. And as the gentleman from Indiana 
just said, the quality and the attractions just get better every day. 
It is an important source of quality affordable housing, and it helps 
new entry-level buyers as well as retirees trying to downsize on both 
ends of the housing spectrum, whether getting in for the first time or 
they're living perhaps in the last home that they will own.
  It is a responsible means of homeownership that can play a major role 
in the solution to America's affordable housing problem. The average 
price of today's manufactured housing hovers somewhere around $48,000, 
and in a challenging mortgage market where fewer and fewer people have 
access to credit, this is one way to solve the problem that many 
homeowners have.
  There are lots of homeowners today throughout America that are losing 
their homes in foreclosure. And yet because of the affordable nature of 
manufactured housing, they have not seen a dramatic rise in most places 
as we have in some communities in the rate of foreclosure throughout 
the country. Manufactured housing is an important component of the 
solution for affordability and access to the American Dream for every 
American.
  June is designated as the National Home Ownership Month. One of the 
great choices Americans have is for quality manufactured housing. 
Again, I thank the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPITO. I yield back the balance of my time and urge passage of 
the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Capuano). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Donnelly) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1010.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________