Resolve, to Establish the Innovative Factory-made Housing
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1453
Committee: Housing and Economic Development
Sponsors: BENNETT, GERE

Legislative Document
No. 1453
S.P. 594
In Senate, April 3, 2025
Resolve, to Establish the Innovative Factory-made Housing 
Working Group
Reference to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development suggested and 
ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BENNETT of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Representative GERE of Kennebunkport and
Senator: CURRY of Waldo, Representatives: COLLAMORE of Pittsfield, EDER of 
Waterboro, JULIA of Waterville, YUSUF of Portland.
Sec. 1.  Working group established.  Resolved:  That the Innovative Factory-
made Housing Working Group, referred to in this resolve as "the working group," is 
established.
Sec. 2.  Working group membership.  Resolved:  That, notwithstanding Joint 
Rule 353, the working group consists of 36 members appointed as follows:
1.  Two members appointed by the Governor as follows:
A.  One member representing the Finance Authority of Maine; and
B.  One member representing the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of 
Maine;
2.  Six members appointed by the President of the Senate as follows:
A.  One member of the Senate who is a member of the party with the largest number 
of seats in the Legislature and who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Housing 
and Economic Development;
B.  One member of the Senate who is a member of the party with the 2nd largest number 
of seats in the Legislature and who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Housing 
and Economic Development; 
C.  One member with expertise in career and technical education;
D.  One member representing panelized construction manufacturers; and
E.  Two members representing the off-site housing construction industry, one of whom 
is a builder and one of whom is a developer;
3.  Six members appointed by the Speaker of the House as follows:
A.  One member of the House of Representatives who is a member of the party with 
the largest number of seats in the Legislature and who serves on the Joint Standing 
Committee on Housing and Economic Development; 
B.  One member of the House of Representatives who is a member of the party with 
the 2nd largest number of seats in the Legislature and who serves on the Joint Standing 
Committee on Housing and Economic Development;
C.  One member representing the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition;
D.  One member representing the Manufactured Housing Association of Maine;
E.  One member representing the Associated General Contractors of Maine; and
F.  One member representing an affordable housing financing organization;
4.  The Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation, or the commissioner's 
designee, and 3 members appointed by the commissioner from within the Department of 
Professional and Financial Regulation as follows:
A.  A representative of the Manufactured Housing Board;
B.  A representative of the State Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers; and
C.  A representative of the Board of Real Estate Appraisers;
5.  The Commissioner of Transportation, or the commissioner's designee;
6.  The Commissioner of Labor, or the commissioner's designee;
7.  The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, or the 
commissioner's designee;
8.  The Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, or the 
director's designee;
9.  The Director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs, or the director's designee, 
and 4 members appointed by the director as follows:
A.  One member with experience in building and zoning laws;
B.  One member with knowledge of factory-made housing building codes and the 
International Residential Code;
C.  One member with knowledge of the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code; 
and
D.  One member representing local code enforcement officers;
10.  The State Fire Marshal, or the State Fire Marshal's designee; and
11.  Eight members appointed by the director of the Maine State Housing Authority as 
follows:
A.  One member representing the University of Maine Advanced Structures and 
Composites Center;
B.  One member representing a modular housing company;
C.  One member representing a real estate and development company;
D.  One member who is a builder of single-family homes and duplexes;
E.  One member who is a builder of apartment complexes;
F.  One member representing the Maine State Housing Authority and who is involved 
in housing program creation;
G.  One member representing the Maine Community College System with experience 
in training students in the installation of modular homes; and
H.  One member with experience in housing program funding, appointed by the director 
of the Maine State Housing Authority.
Sec. 3.  Chairs.  Resolved:  That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair 
and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the working 
group.
Sec. 4.  Appointments; convening of working group.  Resolved:  That all 
appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this 
resolve.  The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative 
Council once all appointments have been completed.  After appointment of all members, 
the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the working group.  If 30 days or more 
after the effective date of this resolve a majority of but not all appointments have been 
made, the chairs may request authority and the Legislative Council may grant authority for 
the working group to meet and conduct its business.
Sec. 5.  Duties.  Resolved:  That the working group shall study the potential of 
innovative factory-made housing technologies to reduce housing production costs and 
accelerate housing production in the State.  The working group shall consider, at a 
minimum, the following:
1.  Questions and issues arising in factory-made housing communities and methods to 
encourage the establishment of additional factory-made housing communities;
2.  The updating of statutes and state agency rules to meet the current need for 
innovative factory-made housing technologies;
3.  An examination of the program scoring metrics used by the Maine State Housing 
Authority and methods for the authority to create incentives for the establishment of 
factory-made home communities and for off-site factory-made home construction in the 
State; 
4.  The identification of and solutions to workforce challenges faced by home builders;
5.  The feasibility of new factory-made housing technologies, including potential cost 
savings;
6.  Pathways for implementation of new factory-made housing technologies on a 
statewide scale; and 
7.  An examination of successes and failures of innovative factory-made housing 
projects in the State, other states and other countries.
Sec. 6.  Staff assistance.  Resolved:  That the Legislative Council shall provide 
necessary staffing services to the working group, except that Legislative Council staff 
support is not authorized when the Legislature is in regular or special session.
Sec. 7.  Report.  Resolved:  That, no later than December 3, 2025, the working 
group shall submit a report that includes its findings and recommendations, including 
suggested legislation, for presentation to the Joint Standing Committee on Housing and 
Economic Development.  The Joint Standing Committee on Housing and Economic 
Development is authorized to report out legislation related to the report to the Second 
Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
SUMMARY
This resolve establishes the Innovative Factory-made Housing Working Group, which 
is directed to study the potential of innovative factory-made housing technologies to reduce 
housing production costs and accelerate housing production in the State.  The working 
group is required to submit a report and suggested legislation by December 3, 2025 to the 
Joint Standing Committee on Housing and Economic Development, which is authorized to 
report out legislation based on the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd 
Legislature.