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A fight over which state agency should regulate modular homes -- considered by many the quickest way to replace the thousands of hurricane-destroyed homes -- has been temporarily resolved with an attorney general's opinion placing regulatory authority with the state contractors licensing board. The argument pits the Louisiana State Contractors Licensing Board against the Louisiana Manufacturing Housing Commission. Modular homes are factory-built structures that are delivered to a lot in components and assembled into a permanent home either on a slab or a raised foundation. Manufactured homes are built on metal chassis with wheels and hauled to the home site in one piece. They are also called mobile homes or trailer homes. While the wheels can be removed and the chassis mounted or tied to a foundation, the law still considers the structure moveable.
JACKSON - The Legislature on Thursday passed a modular-housing tax cut aimed at Katrina recovery, with lawmakers clocking their personal best time getting in and out of the Capitol for a special session - two hours. The cut from 7 percent to 3 percent on modular homes, pushed by Gov. Haley Barbour, had died in an August special legislative session, with House leaders letting it languish in committee without a vote. Barbour, angered over the House move, which he said would cost modular-home buyers an extra $4,000 to $6,000 in taxes and limit Coast homeowners' rebuilding options, forced lawmakers back into session Thursday. On Thursday, the full House voted 113-1 in favor of the tax cut. The Senate passed it unanimously, as it did in August. "The people of Mississippi, especially those on the Coast, thank you," House Speaker Billy McCoy, D-Rienzi, told House members after their vote.
Sleek house on a greenbelt would be a calm retreat from the city for a couple. By Michele Chan SantosSPECIAL TO THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN Sunday, October 15, 2006 What: A modern house perched on a cliff, with knockout views. The walls are made of insulation-filled cinderblocks. The flooring includes bamboo, modular carpet tiles and travertine. It has two bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and approximately 2,656 square feet of space. .
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