State to review regulatory program; votes to shelve plans this year

September 18, 2019

For more information, contact Andy Gallagher, (304) 415-4187; andy@wvhi.org

State to review regulatory program; votes to shelve plans this year

By A.V. Gallagher

CHARLESTON — Plans were set in motion Wednesday to rewrite the regulatory program for manufactured housing in West Virginia.

Labor Commissioner Mitchell E. Woodrum asked the West Virginia Board of Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety to review and update the current regulatory rules and regulations.

His request came after the federal government suggested changes to the state regulatory program. Rather than make piecemeal modifications, Woodrum asked the board to approve a review of the entire program.

As a result, the board voted unanimously to withdraw rule changes suggested by the Division of Labor on July 18.

A review of the entire program’s regulatory structure will give the State Board and DOL more than a year to make modifications and suggest those changes to the Legislature in 2021.

“I suggest we look at everything; the rule as a whole,” said Woodrum, who is chairman of the seven-member board.

Federal regulators in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development had suggested changes aimed at changing the state’s inspection system, moving toward the inspection of more HUD-code home installations, and additional education courses.

Woodrum said he wants the State Board to do a thorough examination of all the rules governing the state’s regulatory program.