### §5401. Findings and purposes

#### (a) Findings

Congress finds that—

(1) manufactured housing plays a vital role in meeting the housing needs of the Nation; and

(2) manufactured homes provide a significant resource for affordable homeownership and rental housing accessible to all Americans.

#### (b) Purposes

The purposes of this chapter are—

(1) to protect the quality, durability, safety, and affordability of manufactured homes;

(2) to facilitate the availability of affordable manufactured homes and to increase homeownership for all Americans;

(3) to provide for the establishment of practical, uniform, and, to the extent possible, performance-based Federal construction standards for manufactured homes;

(4) to encourage innovative and cost-effective construction techniques for manufactured homes;

(5) to protect residents of manufactured homes with respect to personal injuries and the amount of insurance costs and property damages in manufactured housing, consistent with the other purposes of this section;

(6) to establish a balanced consensus process for the development, revision, and interpretation of Federal construction and safety standards for manufactured homes and related regulations for the enforcement of such standards;

(7) to ensure uniform and effective enforcement of Federal construction and safety standards for manufactured homes; and

(8) to ensure that the public interest in, and need for, affordable manufactured housing is duly considered in all determinations relating to the Federal standards and their enforcement.

(Pub. L. 93–383, title VI, §602, Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 700; Pub. L. 96–399, title III, §308(c)(4), Oct. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 1641; Pub. L. 97–35, title III, §339B(c), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 417; Pub. L. 106–569, title VI, §602, Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 2997.)

#### **Editorial Notes**

#### Amendments

2000—Pub. L. 106–569 amended section catchline and text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "The Congress declares that the purposes of this chapter are to reduce the number of personal injuries and deaths and the amount of insurance costs and property damage resulting from manufactured home accidents and to improve the quality and durability of manufactured homes. Therefore, the Congress determines that it is necessary to establish Federal construction and safety standards for manufactured homes and to authorize manufactured home safety research and development."

1980—Pub. L. 96–399 substituted "manufactured home" for "mobile home" wherever appearing.

#### **Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries**

#### Effective Date of 2000 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–569, title VI, §612, Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 3012, provided that: "The amendments made by this title [see Short Title of 2000 Amendment note below] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2000], except that the amendments shall have no effect on any order or interpretative bulletin that is issued under the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.) and published as a proposed rule pursuant to section 553 of title 5, United States Code, on or before that date of the enactment."

#### Effective Date

Pub. L. 93–383, title VI, §627, formerly §628, Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 714, renumbered §627, Pub. L. 106–569, title VI, §611(2), Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 3012, provided that: "The provisions of this title [enacting this chapter and provisions set out as a note under this section] shall take effect upon the expiration of 180 days following the date of enactment of this title [Aug. 22, 1974]."

#### Short Title of 2000 Amendment

Pub. L. 106–569, title VI, §601(a), Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 2997, provided that: "This title [amending this section and sections 5402 to 5404, 5406, 5407, 5409, 5412 to 5415, 5419, 5422, and 5426 of this title, repealing section 5425 of this title, and enacting and amending provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the 'Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000'."

#### Short Title

Pub. L. 93–383, title VI, §601, Aug. 22, 1974, 88 Stat. 700, as amended by Pub. L. 96–399, title III, §308(c)(5), Oct. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 1641, provided that: "This title [enacting this chapter and provisions set out as a note under this section] may be cited as the 'National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974'."

#### Savings Provisions

Pub. L. 106–569, title VI, §613, Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 3012, provided that:

"(a) Standards and Regulations.—The Federal manufactured home construction and safety standards (as such term is defined in section 603 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 [42 U.S.C. 5402]) and all regulations pertaining thereto in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2000] shall apply until the effective date of a standard or regulation modifying or superseding the existing standard or regulation that is promulgated under subsection (a) or (b) of section 604 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974, as amended by this title [42 U.S.C. 5403(a), (b)].

"(b) Contracts.—Any contract awarded pursuant to a Request for Proposal issued before the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2000] shall remain in effect until the earlier of—

"(1) the expiration of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act; or

"(2) the expiration of the contract term."