Industry News
Building Safety Week Capitol Hill Day visits
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ICC Board President Frank
Hodge (left) meets with S. C. Congressman Joe Wilson.
Hodge is Director of Building and Fire Codes for Hilton
Head Island, S.C.
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ICC Immediate Past President
Anne vonWeller meets with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)
to discuss the five legislative priorities for the 109th
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The International Code Council Board of Directors and Government
Relations Advisory Committee met with their senators and representatives
during Building Safety Week Capitol Hill Day to discuss the
International Code Council's five legislative priorities for
the 109th Congress.
Code and Safety for the Americas (CASA) Act — The CASA
Act authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development
to carry out a program to improve building construction codes
and practices in Ecuador, El Salvador and other Latin American
countries through the training of professionals, the translation
and distribution of code publications ad other assistance
as needed.
National Wind Hazard Reduction Program — The law would
create a National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program. In 2004
four major hurricanes made land fall in the southeastern United
States and more than 300 tornadoes touched down in May alone.
There were 110 deaths and total damage from the hurricanes
is estimated at more than $22 billion. The program would coordinate
federal efforts and consults with academic and private-sector
entities to reduce the loss of life and property from windstorms.
National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program — In 1977,
the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)
was created to conduct basic research about earthquakes and
develop strategies, such as more stringent building codes,
to mitigate the effects of earthquakes. In 2004, the reauthorized
NEHRP through 2009 and transferred leadership for the program
from FEMA to NIST. The program coordinates work done by FEMA,
USGS, NSF and NIST.
The Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act — The legislation amends
the Internal Revenue Code to classify automatic fire sprinkler
systems as 5-year depreciable property, thereby creating an
incentive for commercial property owners to retrofit buildings
with sprinkler systems.
The Cigarette Fire Safety Act — The bill would implement
fire safety standards for cigarettes and requires that cigarettes
stop burning or smoldering if dropped or left unattended.
The legislation directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission
to adopt the New York state cigarette fire safety standard
as the national standard. Both New York state and the country
of Canada have recently passed cigarette fire safety standards.
About half a dozen cigarettes already on the market would
meet such a standard. It is estimated 800 deaths, 2,200 injuries
and nearly $560 million dollars in damages are caused by cigarette
ignited fires every year.
In addition to addressing legislative priorities, each of
the International Code Council members offered the International
Code Council as a resource for building safety and fire prevention
issues.
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