One legislative initiative to add to your priority list may be HR 4461, the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act. Talk to your representatives and educate them about this initiative if they are not already co-sponsors. If they already support the bill tell them this is important.
Your legislators should be back in their home districts soon, so they may be more accessible to you. Otherwise it’s easy to send them an e-mail or fax or call their offices. Contact your representatives’ key staff and put this issue on their radar. Also if your community has a function where they promote important legislation as a political body, send them a note to let them know this can help them locally.
And while you’re at it don’t forget to promote the Federal Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act.
Here is a citing from the ICC legislative section:
Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Rep. Dennis Moore of Kansas introduced
legislation on Capitol Hill Wednesday, the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act of 2007, to provide federal grants to building departments to enhance public safety. The grant would provide $100 million per year over five years to help local governments hire, train and equip code officials, including building and fire inspectors.
“Too often, especially in smaller communities, there simply aren’t sufficient resources for building safety,” said International Code Council CEO Rick Weiland. “The Code Council has long recognized this need and applauds the vision of Senator Landrieu and Representative Moore for taking the lead in this important effort to provide much-needed funds to local code enforcement departments. Safety in homes, schools and all buildings for children, adults and seniors is a priority of every community in America. Congress is stepping forward to act on that priority. Better building through better code enforcement is clearly in the best interests of our
country and every community in it.”
If approved by Congress, the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act would support hiring and training code officials to save lives and protect property. It would aid communities that see their resources stretched when they face building booms or major rebuilds after a disaster. Studies show that every dollar invested to build stronger and safer results in savings of $4 to $7 in reduced damages when a disaster occurs.
The act was passed out of the House Financial Services Committee on June 24 with $100 million funding. CBCAG creates a grant program dedicated to local building and fire code compliance. But it still needs Senate co-sponsors.
July 3rd, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
This is good sound legislation as long as it benefits the fire service and Fire Code Officlals as well as the Building Code Officials. If this results in a grant program to support Building Code Officials becoming the local Fire Code Official, we need to either kill the bill or get it re-written with proper verbage. If we support his bill, let’s make sure it supports the fire service directly.