Florida

The Florida Building Commission, (the entity responsible for developing and administering the Florida Building Code (FBC)) is undergoing its own review process. Under Florida law, the Building Commission is required to review the FBC and the system that implements the code every three years and make recommendations to the legislature and governor for changes to law considered necessary for improvement to the system. In addition, the 2005 legislature directed the Building Commission to include in this review the current windborne debris regions to determine if change is needed. (As a result of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ivan to the panhandle region, the legislature was mostly focusing on the exemptions to the increased windborne debris standards that currently exist for much of the panhandle.) Any recommendations from the Building Commission must be made in time for the 2006 legislative session. The Florida MHA will be monitoring the impact of any proposed changes on the FBC in the coming weeks.

Louisiana

In a special session late last year, the Louisiana state legislature adopted the International Building Code as the statewide building code in Louisiana. The bill, Senate Bill 44 (a), will apply to buildings rebuilt in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and will be required for all buildings built or rebuilt statewide starting in 2007. Under the legislation, the 11 parishes hit hardest by the hurricanes have up to 90 days to begin implementing and enforcing the wind and flood provisions of the International Building and Residential Codes. The code also requires homes built along the Gulf Coast to withstand winds of 130 to 150 miles per hour.

Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Corrections issued its final report to the Minnesota Legislature on the feasibility of establishing a modular home plant at the Faribault State Prison. The report concluded that a State operated modular home plant is not financially feasible within a Minnesota State Prison. A financial analysis concluded that the start-up cost of constructing a plant was highly prohibitive and would conflict with existing statutory mandates to operate a prison industry without a state subsidy. The MMHA was the only industry association publicly opposed to the construction of a modular home plant at the Faribault State Prison. MMHA President Mark Brunner, appointed to serve on the Department of Corrections Working Group by the MN Legislature, represented the modular industry in Minnesota.

South Carolina

For the past six months, the South Carolina Modular Housing Institute has been serving as the umbrella for the modular industry in the state. Already among the list of achievements is the MODern Times newsletter published quarterly; the association holds a seat on the South Carolina Building Codes Council, which oversees modular building code, plan review, and licensing issues; and the formation of a 12-member SC Modular Steering Committee which meets quarterly. Also, the full-time year round staff in Columbia and a six figure political donation fund is representing the industry well, and has been able fight legislation like House Bill 4011 that would have mandated that modular homes be taxed as manufactured homes. The South Carolina Modular Housing Institute testified against the legislation, and managed to get the proposal taken off the table.