MHI held its 2015 Legislative Conference and Summer Meeting June 14-16 in Washington, D.C.  Over 100 attendees participated in two days of business and division meetings which were followed by a day of visits to Capitol Hill and several regulatory agencies by MHI members and staff. MHI Members visited more than 70 House and Senate offices, where they briefed Members of Congress, Senators, and key staff about MHI's legislative priorities: the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (H.R. 650/S. 682); the energy efficiency tax credit; and streamlined regulations for manufactured housing energy standards. MHI members and staff also held productive meetings with representatives from DOE, HUD's Office of Manufactured Housing Programs, FHA's Office of Single Family Housing, FEMA and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS).

MHI would like to recognize and thank its member sponsors for their extra financial support of the 2015 MHI Legislative Conference and Summer Meeting: 

Silver Sponsors

21st Mortgage Corporation

Assurant Specialty Property

Clayton Homes, Inc.

Lippert Components, Inc.

MHVillage/Datacomp

Bronze Sponsors

Cavco Industries, Inc.

CU Factory Built Lending

Follett USA

McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC

Shaw Industries, Specialty Markets

Style Crest, Inc.

UMH Properties, Inc.

With the implementation of the HPML Appraisal Rule approximately one month away, the first general session on Monday morning provided an overview of the requirements of the rule by Dick Ernst, President, Financial Marketing Associates. It included demonstrations of valuation systems specifically developed for industry compliance with the rule by Len Sims, Vice President of Operations, NADAguides, and Dan Rinzema, President, Datacomp. The presentation was a culmination of work by an MHI task force which has worked for 18 months to identify practical methods for complying with the HPML Appraisal Rule and facilitated the collection of wide-ranging data on home sales and home specifications which were utilized by NADAguides and Datacomp to develop proprietary systems for valuing homes. 

Monday's luncheon speaker, Brad Fitch, President and CEO, Congressional Management Services, presented a program titled "How to Turn a 10-Minute Meeting with a Member of Congress into a Life-Long Relationship."  Congressional Management Services has conducted numerous surveys with Members of Congress and their staff on effective communications, advocacy strategies and messaging on issues. Key guidance from the presentation regarding Hill visits was: know the Member's relevant committee assignments; be specific with your request for action; don't have too many talking points or topics; know the Member's history on the issue you are discussing; have data on the impact on the Congressional district and/or state; convey a personal story related to your issue; understand and communicate to the Member any potential negative consequences of your "ask" on an issue; and, limit the number of meeting participants.  Fitch stated that Members of Congress can have approximately 130 meetings in a given week and that following this advice can assist in making your visit stand out.

Tuesday morning began with breakfast and discussion with MHI's lobbying firm, Porterfield, Lowenthal, Fettig & Sears LLC entitled "What's Happening on Capitol Hill." Dr. Lesli Gooch, MHI's Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, introduced the panel, which included Lendell Porterfield (former senior staff member for Senate Banking Committee Chairman Shelby), Dawn Sears (senior lobbyist for the House Financial Services Committee Republicans), Dwight Fettig (former Staff Director for the Senate Banking Committee Democrats), and Ben Turner (former counsel for influential Democrat member of the House Financial Services Committee). Dr. Gooch directed the discussion, which focused on educating Hill-visit participants about the political and policy context in Washington that impacts the outlook for MHI's legislative priorities. Areas of discussion included the national political context; the current legislative environment, including the "must-pass" bills facing Congress; and the priorities of the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee.   

During the meeting, MHI divisions, committees and board of directors all held meetings.  Click here to read the full report on the 2015 Legislative Conference and Summer Meeting.

MHI members visited more than 70 House and Senate offices on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, June 15th in conjunction with MHI's 2015 Legislative Conference and Summer Meeting. During the meetings, MHI members briefed Members of Congress, Senators, and key staff about MHI's legislative priorities: the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (H.R. 650/S. 682); the energy efficiency tax credit; and streamlined regulations for manufactured housing energy standards. 

Prior to the Hill visits, Dr. Lesli Gooch, MHI's Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, and Rick Robinson, MHI's Senior Vice President for State and Regulatory Affairs, conducted a legislative briefing session to educate participants about the three key issues to be presented on the Hill, including succinct talking points in favor of each issue. Each participant received customized folders which contained: a specific meeting schedule for the day; information on the Senators/Representatives to visit (including official photo, office location information, Committee service, and position on H.R. 650/S. 682); background information on MHI's legislative priorities, including talking points, real-world examples of small loans made before the Dodd-Frank Act restrictions were implemented; a "Myth vs. Fact" sheet about H.R. 650/S. 682; and a color leave-behind handout that was customized to the relevant state and district of the Senator or Representative.

Also included in each participant's folder was a "follow-up" form, that could be used to record notes from each meeting regarding stances on our three key issues: supporting the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act (S. 682/H.R. 650); supporting the Energy Efficiency Tax Credit (45(L) tax credit); and streamlining regulations for manufactured housing energy standards.  Participants were asked to fax or mail the forms to MHI, or click here to utilize the online system to enter the feedback from Hill meetings. 

Rep. Stephen Fincher (TN), author of H.R. 650, reserved a room in the Cannon House Office Building for Hill-visit participants to relax between appointments.  MHI also secured tables for lunch at the Capitol Hill Club's Presidential Dining Room, where all participants were welcome to stop by for a meal between their appointments.  Congressman Andy Barr (KY), an original cosponsor of H.R 650, joined participants during lunch and he expressed his support and encouragement for their efforts. 

Despite temperatures in the mid-90s, long security lines, and jam-packed schedules requiring treks back and forth from the House side to the Senate side, Hill visit participants diligently delivered our message and the meetings were a great success in demonstrating to Senators/Representatives the importance of MHI's priorities to their constituents from back home.

On June 17th the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a delay, from August 1st to October 1st, in the implementation of new rules regarding disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The new rule, known as the TILA RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule, will affect all homes financed as real estate. Chattel loans are not subject to this rule. 

 The most significant requirement in the new regulation is that the Closing Disclosure must be provided to the consumer a full three days prior to the closing, and if there are changes during that 72-hour period, the closing could be delayed.

For more information on this new CFPB regulation, see the June 5th, Week In Review article or contact Lois Starkey at [email protected].