House Moves to Reinstate HUD as Sole Regulator for Manufactured Housing

The House Rules Committee met Tuesday, Jan. 6 and voted to bring H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act, to the House floor with one hour of debate and one motion to recommit. A simple majority would be needed for passage and a vote by the House of Representatives is expected later this week.

If the bill passes, energy conservation standards for manufactured housing finalized by the Department of Energy (DOE) in May 2022 and not yet in effect would be stopped. Instead of issuing its own standards, the DOE could submit recommendations to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for consideration, which would serve as the sole authority for establishing standards for manufactured homes.

The measure “restores HUD’s longstanding role as the single regulator for manufactured housing construction standards and removes DOE’s overlapping authority,” Rep. Erin Houchin (IN-09), the bill’s sponsor, said during a Dec. 3 Energy and Commerce Committee markup. “The goal is clarity, not chaos, so manufacturers can build more homes and families can afford them.”

Stay tuned as MHI continues to advocate for passage of this bill.