AUTHORITY OF THE SECRETARY SEC. 19. (a) The Secretary is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations, to make such interpretations, and to grant such reasonable exemptions for classes of transactions, as may be necessary to achieve the purposes of this Act. (b) No provision of this Act or the laws of any State imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule, regulation, or interpretation thereof by the Secretary or the Attorney General, notwithstanding that after such act or omission has occurred, such rule, regulation, or interpretation is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason. EFFECTIVE DATE SEC. 20. The provisions of this Act, and the amendments made thereby, shall become effective one hundred and eighty days after the date of the enactment of this Act. Approved December 22, 1974. EXCERPT FROM REAL ESTATE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES SEC. 12. The provisions of this Act and the amendments made hereby shall become effective upon enactment. The Secretary may suspend for up to one hundred and eighty days from the date of enactment of this Act any provision of section 4 and section 5 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974, as amended by this Act. Approved January 2, 1976. EXCERPTS FROM EMERGENCY HOME FINANCE ACT OF 1970 TITLE VII-MISCELLANEOUS SETTLEMENT COSTS IN THE FINANCING OF FEDERAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION AND VETERANS' ADMINISTRATION ASSISTED HOUSING SEC. 701. (a) With respect to housing built, rehabilitated, or sold with assistance provided under the National Housing Act or under chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs are respectively authorized and directed to prescribe standards governing the amounts of settlement costs allowable in connection with the financing of such housing in any such area. Such standards shall— 1 Sec. 10 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Amendments of 1974, Public Law 94-205, 89 Stat. 1157, approved January 2, 1976. amended the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 by redesignating "section 19" as "section 20" and inserting a new "Section 19". (1) be established after consultation between the Secretary and the Administrator; (2) be consistent in any area for housing assisted under the National Housing Act and housing assisted under chapter 37 of title 38, United States Code; and (3) be based on the Secretary's and the Administrator's estimates of the reasonable charge for necessary services involved in settlements for particular classes of mortgages and loans. (b) The Secretary and the Administrator shall undertake a joint study and make recommendations to the Congress not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act with respect to legislative and administrative actions which should be taken to reduce mortgage settlement costs and to standardize these costs for all geographic areas. § 601 MOBILE HOMES STANDARDS EXCERPTS FROM HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1974 [Public Law 93-383, 88 Stat. 633] TITLE VI-MOBILE HOME CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY STANDARDS SHORT TITLE SEC. 601. This title may be cited as the "National Mobile Home Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974". STATEMENT OF PURPOSE SEC. 602. The Congress declares that the purposes of this title are to reduce the number of personal injuries and deaths and the amount of insurance costs and property damage resulting from mobile home accidents and to improve the quality and durability of mobile homes. Therefore, the Congress determines that it is necessary to establish Federal construction and safety standards for mobile homes and to authorize mobile home safety research and development. DEFINITIONS SEC. 603. As used in this title, the term (1) "mobile home construction" means all activities relating to the assembly and manufacture of a mobile home including but not limited to those relating to durability, quality, and safety; (2) "dealer" means any person engaged in the sale, leasing, or distribution of new mobile homes primarily to persons who in good faith purchase or lease a mobile home for purposes other than resale; (3) "defect" includes any defect in the performance, construction, components, or material of a mobile home that renders the home or any part thereof not fit for the ordinary use for which it was intended: (4) "distributor" means any person engaged in the sale and distribution of mobile homes for resale; (5) "manufacturer" means any person engaged in manufacturing or assembling mobile homes, including any person engaged in importing mobile homes for resale; (6) "mobile home" means a structure, transportable in one or more sections, which is eight body feet or more in width and is thirty-two body feet or more in length, and which is built on a 557 permanent chasis and designed to be used as a dwelling with or without a permanent foundation when connected to the required utilities, and includes the plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and electrical systems contained therein; (7) "Federal mobile home construction and safety standard” means a reasonable standard for the construction, design, and performance of a mobile home which meets the needs of the public including the need for quality, durability, and safety; (8) "mobile home safety" means the performance of a mobile home in such a manner that the public is protected against any unreasonable risk of the occurrence of accidents due to the design or construction of such mobile home, or any unreasonable risk of death or injury to the user or to the public if such accidents do occur; (9) "imminent safety hazard" means an imminent and unreasonable risk of death or severe personal injury; (10) "purchaser" means the first person purchasing a mobile home in good faith for purposes other than resale; (11) "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; (12) "State" includes each of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone, and American Samoa; and (13) "United States district courts" means the Federal district courts of the United States and the United States courts of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Canal Zone, and American Samoa. FEDERAL MOBILE HOME CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY STANDARDS SEC. 604. (a) The Secretary, after consultation with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, shall establish by order appropriate Federal mobile home construction and safety standards. Each such Federal mobile home standard shall be reasonable and shall meet the highest standards of protection, taking into account existing State and local laws relating to mobile home safety and construction. (b) All orders issued under this section shall be issued after notice and an opportunity for interested persons to participate are provided in accordance with the provisions of section 553 of title 5, United States Code. (c) Each order establishing a Federal mobile home construction and safety standard shall specify the date such standard is to take effect, which shall not be sooner than one hundred and eighty days or later than one year after the date such order is issued, unless the Secretary finds, for good cause shown, that an earlier or later effective date is in the public interest, and publishes his reasons for such finding. (d) Whenever a Federal mobile home construction and safety standard established under this title is in effect, no State or political subdivision of a State shall have any authority either to establish, or to continue in effect, with respect to any mobile home covered, any standard regarding construction or safety applicable to the same aspect of performance of such mobile home which is not identical to the Federal mobile home construction and safety standard. (e) The Secretary may by order amend or revoke any Federal mobile home construction or safety standard established under this. section. Such order shall specify the date on which such amendment or revocation is to take effect, which shall not be sooner than one hundred and eighty days or later than one year from the date the order is issued, unless the Secretary finds, for good cause shown, that an earlier or later date is in the public interest, and publishes his reasons for such finding. (f) In establishing standards under this section, the Secretary shall (1) consider relevant available mobile home construction and safety data, including the results of the research, development, testing, and evaluation activities conducted pursuant to this title, and those activities conducted by private organizations and other governmental agencies to determine how to best protect the public; (2) consult with such State or interstate agencies (including legislative committees) as he deems appropriate; (3) consider whether any such proposed standard is reasonable for the particular type of mobile home or for the geographic region for which it is prescribed; (4) consider the probable effect of such standard on the cost of the mobile home to the public; and (5) consider the extent to which any such standard will contribute to carrying out the purposes of this title. (g) The Secretary shall issue an order establishing initial Federal mobile home construction and safety standards not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act. NATIONAL MOBILE HOME ADVISORY COUNCIL SEC. 605. (a) The Secretary shall appoint a National Mobile Home Advisory Council with the following composition: eight members selected from among consumer organizations, community organizations, and recognized consumer leaders; eight members from the mobile home industry and related groups including at least one representative of small business; and eight members selected from government agencies including Federal, State, and local governments. Appointments under this subsection shall be made without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to appointments in the competitive service, classification, and General Schedule pay rates. The Secretary shall publish the names of the members of the Council annually and shall designate which members represent the general public. (b) The Secretary shall, to the extent feasible, consult with the Advisory Council prior to establishing, amending, or revoking any mobile home construction or safety standard pursuant to the provisions of this title. (c) Any member of the National Mobile Home Advisory Council who is appointed from outside the Federal Government may be com |