[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 43 (Monday, March 9, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4380. Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Mr. Cassidy) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 6644, a bill
to increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes;
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. STUDY ON INCREASING THE RESILIENCY OF MANUFACTURED
HOMES IN AREAS AT HIGH-RISK OF NATURAL HAZARDS
AND WEATHER EXTREMES.
(a) Manufactured Home Defined.--In this section, the term
``manufactured home''--
(1) means a manufactured home, as defined in section 603 of
the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety
Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5402); and
(2) includes any other home determined by the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development to be a manufactured home.
(b) Study Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development shall commission a public study that evaluates
evidence about the performance and safety of manufactured
homes built and installed under the Federal Manufactured Home
Construction and Safety Standards (in this section referred
to as the ``Standards''), as in effect on the date of
enactment of this Act, in areas at high-risk of natural
hazards and weather extremes.
(c) Research Objectives.--The study required under
subsection (c), and the report required under subsection (d),
shall--
(1) inform future updates to the Standards considered by
the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee; and
(2) include substantive sections relating to--
(A) establishing clear, data-driven criteria for defining
``high risk areas'' for natural hazards, including floods,
wildfires, tropical storms and hurricanes, tornadoes,
earthquakes, and extreme heat;
(B) an evaluation of the best available data and evidence
about the performance of modern manufactured homes in high
risk areas described in subparagraph (A), and the
identification of materials and engineering practices that
could improve their performance;
(C) an evaluation of the best available data and evidence
about the performance of manufactured homes installed to the
Standards in high risk areas described in subparagraph (A),
and the identification of materials and practices that could
improve their performance;
(D) the effects on affordability and cost effectiveness of
the potential improvements in the design, construction, and
installation of manufactured homes in high risk areas
described in subparagraph (A); and
(E) the identification of deficiencies in current data
regarding the performance of manufactured homes, based on
their design, construction, and installation, in high risk
areas described in subparagraph (A).
(d) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
completion of the study required under subsection (b), the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall submit to
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the
Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House
of Representatives and make publicly available on the website
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development a report
that includes--
(A) findings from the research conducted under subsection
(c);
(B) recommendations for legislative or regulatory changes
to improve the performance of manufactured homes with respect
to natural hazards and extreme weather events, which shall
include an analysis of the effects of implementing these
recommendations on overall affordability, including the
upfront costs to produce and install the manufactured homes,
as well as the long-term costs of owning and operating the
manufactured homes in areas at high-risk of natural hazards
and weather extremes; and
(C) a strategy for improving data collection on
manufactured home performance during and after extreme
weather events.
(2) Preparation and consultation.--The report required
under paragraph (1) shall be prepared by not less than 1
independent and non-partisan research organization--
(A) under the supervision of the Office of Policy
Development and Research of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development; and
(B) in consultation with the Manufactured Housing Consensus
Committee, experts from the manufactured home industry, and
State and local building officials.
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