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 Calls
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2010 Call To Action more
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Legislative update
Kentucky General
Assembly Back in Frankfort
The Kentucky General Assembly returned on Monday for a special session
to pass a state budget bill and to send a bill to the Governor to
address the state’s debt in unemployment insurance that is calculated
to save small businesses over $350 million. This is critical to the
future development of small business and the survival of existing
small businesses among KMHI membership. Other issues that KMHI
supports include an extension of the state home buyer tax credit
program ($4,500 credit administered by KHC) and the
continuation of the Energy Star state income tax credit for retailers
selling Energy Star rated manufactured and modular homes ($400 per
manufactured) and ($800 per modular) sold in Kentucky. The
Administration and the Legislature feels that, should the state budget
pass, these provisions will become reality.
Status of Administration Regulation for
KY HB 98
KY House Bill 98, signed into law April 2010, requires that all
new manufactured homes installed in Kentucky must have an inspection
of the installation in accordance with regulation soon to be
considered for adoption. KMHI, the KY Department of Housing, Buildings
and Construction Manufactured Housing Section and the Certification &
Licensure Board representatives met May 4 to discuss how the
regulations should be drafted and what the primary issues are... The
most important notion everyone agreed upon was that regulation cannot
slow or unreasonably delay any home occupancy or closing. The
department will have to hire 3 or 4 additional personnel and the
procedure for requesting an installation inspection and performing the
inspection must be clear and easy to accomplish. Keeping it simple was
the main thought among those at the meeting. Other discussions
included questions about whether certain other required inspections
that included the installation, could be used by the
retailer/homeowner as an official action in lieu of a state
inspection, whether local building inspectors could be trained and
qualified by the department, and what specific areas of the
installation will be key points of interest to the inspector.
The Special Installation Task Force will meet again to finalize its
recommendations to the C&L Board. Any suggestions from KMHI members
would be greatly appreciated. The law is due to go into effect July 15
or thereabouts. However, KMHI is debating whether to ask the State
Attorney General to delay the effective date until January 1, 2011.
MHI’s Energy Efficient Manufactured
Housing
Legislation Passes the House
On May 6, Congressional leaders passed legislation to help
stimulate the economy and increase energy efficiency. The Manufactured
Housing Institute (MHI) strongly advocated for the passage of an
amendment offered by Rep. Baron Hill of IN on Energy Efficient
Manufactured Housing which was attached to H.R. 5019, the Home Star
Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. The legislation will now be referred
to the Senate for consideration.
Thanks to all MHI members for their grassroots efforts on behalf of
the industry. Special thanks to Ms. Stacey Epperson, President,
Frontier Housing in Morehead and a KMHI retailer member and Mr.
Emanuel Levy, Executive Director, Systems Building Research
Alliance for their organizations supporting efforts to replace
pre-1976 mobile homes with ENERGY STAR manufactured homes.
H.R. 5019 would authorize a total of $6. 6 billion, primarily for a
new Home Star Retrofit Rebate Program to be run by the Department for
Energy (DOE). Specifically, the manufactured housing amendment would
offer $7,500 rebates which may be used to facilitate the purchase of a
new Energy Star qualified home. It also adds a decommissioning grant
of up to $2,500 which can only be used to cover the cost of removing
the older home. Replacement of old mobile homes with new Energy Star
units substantially reduces energy use and improves home
affordability, easing the financial burden on families struggling to
meet monthly homeownership costs.
Small Business
Caucus Day
KMHI was well represented at the the Small Business Caucus Day at
the Kentucky State Capitol on January 23, 2008. KMHI staff, members
and guests in attendance were:
Thad Vann - KMHI executive director, Scott Grider - Mortgage
Broker (Guest of D. Overstreet), Darrell Overstreet - Key Mortgage
Company, Columbia, KY,Don and Yvonne Emerson - Kentucky Home
Development, Russell Springs, KY, James Lunsford - Lunsford Homes,
Berea, KY, Betty Whittaker - KMHI Assistant Executive Director, and
Bill Welty - Welty Enterprises, Carrollton, KY (missing from this
picture).
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