S.Amdt. 4380

SA 4380, submitted by Mr. Padilla and Mr. Cassidy, aims to add a section to H.R. 6644 that requires a study and report on making manufactured homes more resilient in areas at high-risk of weather extremes and natural hazards.

The purpose of this amendment is to:

• Require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to commission a public study within 90 days of the Act's enactment to evaluate the safety and performance of manufactured homes built and installed under Federal Standards in high-risk areas.

• Establish research objectives to inform future updates to the Standards and create data-driven criteria for defining high risk areas, which include earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, wildfires, floods, and extreme heat.

• Evaluate the best available evidence on how modern manufactured homes perform in these areas and identify engineering practices and materials that could improve performance.

• Analyze how potential improvements in installation, construction, and design would affect cost effectiveness and affordability.

• Identify any current data deficiencies regarding the performance of these homes in high-risk areas.

• Require a report to be submitted to the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs within 180 days of the study's completion. This report must include research findings, a strategy for better data collection, and recommendations for regulatory or legislative changes, including an analysis of how those changes affect long-term and upfront costs.

• Ensure the report is prepared by at least one independent and non-partisan research organization under the supervision of the HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, while consulting with State and local building officials, manufactured home industry experts, and the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee.