Legislation to alleviate regulatory burdens that have impeded consumers' ability to purchase manufactured housing got a boost this week with an endorsement from the National Association of REALTORS �. The organization that boasts one million members wrote to Congressional sponsors that they "stand ready to work with [them] on its enactment."  Click here to view the letter.

H.R. 650, the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act of 2015, was introduced on February 2, 2015 by Representatives Stephen Fincher (TN), Terri Sewell (AL), Andy Barr (KY), and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), who are members of the House Financial Services Committee where the bill has been referred. Sixteen members have added their names as cosponsors of the bill since introduction. They are: Representatives Diane Black (TN), Sean Duffy (WI), John Duncan, Jr. (TN), Trent Franks (AZ), Paul Gosar (AZ), Gregg Harper (MS), Ann Kirkpatrick (AZ),  Frank Lucas (OK), Markwayne Mullin (OK), Mick Mulvaney (SC) , Richard Nugent (FL), Steven Palazzo (MS), Stevan Pearce (NM), Matt Salmon, (AZ), Jackie Walorski (IN), and Ed Whitfield (KY).

Because it is now a new session of Congress, the bill had to be reintroduced which resulted in the cosponsorship list starting over, even though last year's bill had 114 cosponsors (see last year's cosponsors here). We are now at 19 cosponsors. Please help us to increase the cosponsorship list quickly.  We need members who cosponsored the bill last year to add their name as a cosponsor of this new bill. And, we need to move the cosponsorship number higher than last 

year - our goal should be 218 cosponsors.

You Can Help Increase Cosponsorship of H.R. 650

Send an Email to your Representative. Click on the following button: Email now!  Follow the simple steps. The email has already been drafted for you.  All you have to do is insert your home address and click send.

Call your Representative's Office.  Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be directed to your Representative.  If you are not sure who represents you in Congress, tell the operator the zip code where you live and they will connect you to the right office. Ask that your Representative cosponsor H.R. 650. Tell them that manufactured housing is a critical resource for working families across the country.  Let them know this bill is critically needed because it alleviates the regulatory burdens that have impeded consumers' ability to purchase manufactured housing.

Visit the District Office. Members will be in a "district work period" next week, from March 9 to March 13. This means that there will be no votes in the House of Representatives and the Members will be working from their district offices. Call your Representative's local office and schedule a meeting during the upcoming "district work period." Meet with your Representative or their staff and tell them that manufactured housing is a critical resource for working families but regulatory burdens have impeded consumers' ability to purchase manufactured homes. Ask them to cosponsor H.R. 650 to alleviate the regulatory barriers that have hampered the market. Give them a copy of the one page bill summary as a leave-behind. After the meeting, be sure to follow up to thank them for the meeting and renew your cosponsorship request.

If you have any questions, please contact MHI's Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Lesli Gooch, Ph.D. at (703) 558-0660 or lgooch@mfghome.org. 

The 2015 Congress & Expo Provides Excellent Value for Your Money!

Your Congress & Expo registration fee includes the following:

• Full Access to the Exhibit Hall
• Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall (Tuesday)
• Wednesday Breakfast and Keynote Speaker Dan Veto, Senior Advisor, Age Wave (Leader in Understanding the Effects of the Aging Population on the Marketplace)
• Awards Luncheon
• Educational Workshops on Wednesday and Thursday
• Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall (Wednesday)
• Thursday Breakfast and General Session Speaker Pamela Danner, Administrator, Office of Manufactured Housing Programs U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Coffee breaks throughout each morning

Hotel Reservations 

Click here to make your hotel reservation online or contact the Paris Hotel by calling 877-603-4389. Be sure to ask for the MHI Congress & Expo room block or mention our group code SPMHI5. The deadline for the early-bird rate of $169 per night expires on March 13, 2015.

The Paris Hotel is the contracted hotel for the 2015 National Congress & Expo for Manufactured and Modular Housing and all reservations must be made directly with the Paris Hotel via telephone or the special online reservation link above. If you are contacted by a company representing itself as MHI's housing provider, please be advised that they are a scam and are not affiliated with MHI in any way. If you are ever unsure whether or not a company is legitimate, please e-mail Cheryl Berard at cheryl@mfghome.org  or call (703) 558-0668.

Reserve Your Exhibit Booth Space Today 

For information on exhibiting, please click here to view the floor plan, booth prices, the list of 2015 exhibitors and to reserve your booth space.

Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities

Excellent sponsorship opportunities are available, in addition to advertising opportunities for the Congress & Expo program. Click here for information on advertising or to find out how you can become a sponsor for this important event and view the many benefits you would receive. New sponsorship opportunities were added for 2015, so take a look! 

MHI thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of this event!

Platinum Sponsors

Marcus & Millichap
Oliver Technologies, Inc.

RHP Properties
Sunstone

YES! Communities

Gold Sponsors

Assurant Specialty Property

Homefree Village Resorts, Inc.

Inspire Communities
ManageAmerica

Origen Services

Sun Communities, Inc.

UMH Properties, Inc.

Wells Fargo

Silver Sponsors
 

Champion Home Builders, Inc.

CU Factory Built Lending

KeyBank Real Estate

Lippert Components, Inc.

MHVillage/Datacomp

Bronze Sponsors

CBRE

Santefort Neighborhoods

Shaw Industries, Specialty Markets

Style Crest, Inc.