text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``CJ's Home Protection Act of 2008''.
  
  SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress finds that--
              (1) nearly 20,000,000 Americans live in manufactured homes, 
          which often provide a more accessible and affordable way for 
          many families to buy their own homes;
              (2) manufactured housing plays a vital role in providing 
          housing for low- and moderate-income families in the United 
          States;
              (3) NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is a nationwide network of 
          radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information 
          directly from a nearby National Weather Service (NWS) office, 
          and broadcasts NWS warnings, watches, forecasts, and other all-
          hazard information 24 hours a day;
              (4) the operators of manufactured housing communities 
          should be encouraged to provide a safe place of shelter for 
          community residents or a plan for the evacuation of community 
          residents to a safe place of shelter within a reasonable 
          distance of the community for use by community residents in 
          times of severe weather, including tornados and high winds, and 
          local municipalities should be encouraged to require approval 
          of these plans;
              (5) the operators of manufactured housing communities 
          should be encouraged to provide a written reminder semiannually 
          to all owners of manufactured homes in the manufactured housing 
          community to replace the batteries in their weather radios; and
              (6) weather radio manufacturers should include, in the 
          packaging of weather radios, a written reminder to replace the 
          batteries twice each year and written instructions on how to do 
          so.
  
  SEC. 3. FEDERAL MANUFACTURED HOME INSTALLATION STANDARDS.
  
      Section 605 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction and 
  Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5404) is amended by adding at 
  the end the following new subsection:
      ``(d) Weather Radios.--
              ``(1) Provision of installation instructions.--A 
          manufacturer shall provide with each manufactured home (other 
          than a manufactured home affixed to a permanent foundation), 
          instructions for the installation of a weather radio required 
          under this section.
              ``(2) Model installation standards.--The Federal 
          manufactured home installation standards established by the 
          Secretary under this section shall require that each 
          manufactured home (other than a manufactured home affixed to a 
          permanent foundation) shall be installed with a weather radio 
          inside the manufactured home that--
                      ``(A) is capable of broadcasting emergency 
                  information relating to local weather conditions;
                      ``(B) is equipped with a tone alarm;
                      ``(C) is equipped with Specific Alert Message 
                  Encoding, or SAME technology; and
                      ``(D) complies with Consumer Electronics 
                  Association (CEA) Standard 2009-A (or current revision 
                  thereof) Performance Specification for Public Alert 
                  Receivers.
              ``(3) Responsibility of manufactured home installers.--It 
          shall be the duty of manufactured home installers to ensure 
          that manufactured homes (other than manufactured homes affixed 
          to a permanent foundation) are supplied and installed with a 
          weather radio required under this subsection.
              ``(4) Definition of affixed to a permanent foundation.--For 
          purposes of this subsection, the term `affixed to a permanent 
          foundation' has the meaning given that term in the Department 
          of Housing and Urban Development's publication entitled 
          `Permanent Foundations Guide For Manufactured Housing' dated 
          September 1996.
              ``(5) Liability protections.--
                      ``(A) Immunity for manufacturers.--Manufacturers of 
                  manufactured homes shall be immune from common law 
                  civil liability for any aspect of the installation, 
                  furnishing, function, operation, performance, 
                  capabilities, or utilization of the weather radio 
                  mandated by the Federal manufactured home installation 
                  standards promulgated in accordance with this 
                  subsection, including any instructions related thereto.
                      ``(B) Immunity for installers.--Manufactured home 
                  installers shall be immune from common law civil 
                  liability for any aspect of the installation, 
                  furnishing, function, operation, performance, 
                  capabilities, or utilization of the weather radio 
                  mandated by the Federal manufactured home installation 
                  standards promulgated in accordance with this 
                  subsection, including any instructions related thereto.
                      ``(C) Immunity for retailers.--Retailers of 
                  manufactured homes shall be immune from common law 
                  civil liability for any aspect of the installation, 
                  furnishing, function, operation, performance, 
                  capabilities, or utilization of the weather radio 
                  mandated by the Federal manufactured home installation 
                  standards promulgated in accordance with this 
                  subsection, including any instructions related thereto.
                      ``(D) Immunity for operators of housing 
                  communities.--Any reminder, assistance, or instructions 
                  provided by the operator of a manufactured housing 
                  community concerning the function of a weather radio 
                  contained in a manufactured home shall not subject the 
                  operator, an owner or employee of the manufactured home 
                  community, or the manufacturer of the manufactured home 
                  to liability for the functionality of that weather 
                  radio.
              ``(6) Exemption for modular homes.--
                      ``(A) In general.--The installation standards 
                  required to be established under paragraph (2) shall 
                  not apply to modular homes.
                      ``(B) Definition of modular home.--For purposes of 
                  this paragraph, the term `modular home' has the meaning 
                  given such term in the law of the State in which the 
                  modular home is located.''.
  
  SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT.
  
      Not later than the expiration of the 90-day period beginning on the 
  date of the enactment of this Act, the consensus committee established 
  pursuant to section 604(a)(3) of the National Manufactured Housing 
  Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304(a)(3)) 
  shall develop and submit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
  Development a proposed Federal manufactured home installation standards 
  required under section 605(d) of such Act (as added by the amendment 
  made by section 3 of this Act). Notwithstanding section 604(a)(5)(B) of 
  such Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall issue a 
  final order promulgating the standard required by such section 605(i) 
  not later than the expiration of the 90-day period beginning upon 
  receipt by the Secretary of the proposed standard developed and 
  submitted by the consensus committee.
  
  SEC. 5. STUDY.
  
      The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall conduct a 
  study regarding conditioning the applicability of the requirement under 
  the amendment made by section 3 of this Act (relating to the 
  installation of weather radios in manufactured homes) on the geographic 
  location at which a manufactured home is placed, but only to the extent 
  that such requirement applies to new manufactured homes and new site-
  built homes. In conducting such study and making determinations under 
  to the study, the Secretary shall take into consideration severe 
  weather conditions, such as high winds and flooding, and wind zones and 
  other severe weather data available from the National Weather Service. 
  Not later than the expiration of the 18-month period beginning on the 
  date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall complete the 
  study and submit a report regarding the results of the study to the 
  Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and to 
  the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
target: CJ's Home Protection Act of 2008 - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise federal standards for manufactured homes (other than one affixed to a permanent foundation) to require each such home to be installed with a weather radio: (1) capable of broadcasting emergency information relating to local weather conditions; (2) equipped with a tone alarm and Specific Alert Message Encoding, or SAME technology; and (3) compliant with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Standard 2009-A Performance Specification for Public Alert Receivers (or its current revision).
  
  
  
  
  
  Shields from common law civil liability: (1) manufacturers, installers, or retailers of manufactured homes for any aspect of the installation, furnishing, function, operation, performance, capabilities, or utilization of such a weather radio; and (2) the operator, owner, or employee of a manufactured home community, or the home manufacturer, with respect to the functionality of such a radio owing to any reminder, assistance, or instructions the community operator provides.
  
  Exempts modular homes from such installation standards.
  
  Requires the consensus committee established under such Act to develop and submit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development a proposed standard for installed weather radios.
  
  Requires the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees on conditioning the applicability of the weather radio installation requirement on the geographic location at which a manufactured home is placed.
feat_title: A bill to amend the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to require that weather radios be installed in all manufactured homes manufactured or sold in the United States.