[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.
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