Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/743328
NOVEMBER 2016 19 THE JOURNAL Ψϯϰ͕ϬϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ 'ůĞŶǀŝĞǁ͕/ůůŝŶŽŝƐ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ůŽĂƟŶŐZĂƚĞ :ĂŶƵĂƌLJϮϬϭϲ Ψϭϭ͕ϱϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ /ůůŝŶŽŝƐΘ/ŽǁĂ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ DĂƌĐŚϮϬϭϲ Ψϲ͕ϱϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ tĞƐƚĞƐDŽŝŶĞƐ͕/ŽǁĂ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϱ Ψϱ͕ϲϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ /ƌǀŝŶŐ͕dĞdžĂƐ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ &ĞďƌƵĂƌLJϮϬϭϲ Ψϰ͕ϰϰϱ͕ϬϬϬ &ŽŶĚƵ>ĂĐ͕tŝƐĐŽŶƐŝŶ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ KĐƚŽďĞƌϮϬϭϲ Ψϱ͕ϬϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ ŽůŽƌĂĚŽ^ƉƌŝŶŐƐ͕K DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϲ Ψϲ͕ϬϬϬ͕ϬϬϬ ĞĚĂƌZĂƉŝĚƐ͕/ŽǁĂ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ůŽĂƟŶŐZĂƚĞ ĞĐĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϱ ĞŶ<ĂĚŝƐŚ DĂǀĞƌŝĐŬŽŵŵĞƌĐŝĂůDŽƌƚŐĂŐĞ͕/ŶĐ͘ KĸĐĞͶϯϭϮͲϮϲϴͲϲϬϬϬĞůůͶϯϭϮͲϵϱϯͲϰϯϰϰĞŶ͘<ĂĚŝƐŚΛŵĂǀĐŵ͘ĐŽŵ tĞ,ĂǀĞĞĞŶƵƐLJtŝƚŚ>ŽƚƐŽĨ ZĞĐĞŶƚDŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ>ŽĂŶůŽƐŝŶŐƐ ΨϭϮ͕ϬϱϬ͕ϬϬϬ WŽƌƚĂŐĞ͕/ŶĚŝĂŶĂ DŽďŝůĞ,ŽŵĞWĂƌŬ &ŝdžĞĚZĂƚĞ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌϮϬϭϲ No. 9 on Get It Quick Page ward, because even though the top leadership of the Executive Branch – regardless of the election-winner – will undergo a period of transition in early-2017, the so-called "fourth branch" of government, the institutional regulatory bureaucracy, will continue to chug along, with a number of key rulemakings and other regulatory decisions hanging in the balance. Chief among these – because of their potentially market-altering im- pacts -- are the pending energy rule put forward by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the "Duty to Serve" implementation rule pend- ing at FHFA. But there are also multiple key issues relating to the federal manufactured housing program at HUD – and the way it is managed – that will be matters for the next ad- ministration, with potentially major impacts on the availability of manufactured homes for American consumers, as well as the future growth and prosperity of the industry. Each candidate has both positives and nega- tives that will need to be considered, weighed and assessed in specific relation to manufactured housing. Donald Trump, for his part, has enunciated views that are broadly critical of over-regulation and seems to understand the cost-hiking, job-killing effects of excessive, unreasonable and/or unnecessary regulatory mandates. At the same time, though, the 2000 reform law is part of the legacy of the first President Clinton and the leadership team that he put in place at HUD, which over-rode the institutional biases and objections of career reg- ulators and helped push-through the 2000 re- form law that we know today. Indeed, if that team had remained at HUD, the implementa- tion of the 2000 law could have been dramati- cally different than the foot-dragging and bureaucratic/contractor-driven sabotage that followed during the crucial, early years of the law and, unfortunately, continues today. This legacy, however, could ultimately become a major factor in a new Clinton Administration. Regardless, though, of who wins, the in- dustry (and consumers) will be facing some- thing new when the next president is sworn into office on January 20, 2017. And, with each candidate, the industry will have new opportu- nities to change the existing dynamics at HUD, FHFA, FHA and other agencies, to press full- bore for the full and proper implementation of the good laws that Congress has enacted. MHARR, therefore, is preparing now for the new political reality that will emerge in the wake of the election, with strategies and approaches tailored for each candidate. Progress, how- ever, will ultimately depend on the broader en- gagement and support of industry members and consumers. In MHARR's view, the election of a new president and the prospect of a new administra- tion offer a clean slate for a vigorous effort to fully and properly implement the good laws se- cured by the industry with the support of both Republicans and Democrats, and elevate in- dustry production to levels in the hundreds-of- thousands of home annually. Mark Weiss is President & CEO of the Manufac- tured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform. MHARR is a Washington, DC-based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing. Mark can be reached at 202-783-4087. \ 12 T J