ICC Board Approves cdp ACCESS Steering Committee’s Final Recommendations for Online Code Development

During its winter meeting, the International Code Council Board of Directors approved the cdp ACCESS Steering Committee’s final recommendations. The Board authorized staff to proceed with the initiative to increase participation in ICC’s core function: Code Development.

“The discussions, debate and suggestions that accompanied the report of the Steering Committee provided the Board of Directors with the information needed to establish a prudent course of action,” explained ICC Board President Ronald Piester. “There is still much to learn and the cdp ACCESS initiative is still evolving, but we are confident that ICC has established a sound plan to develop the governmental consensus Code Development Process of the future.”

The cdp ACCESS Steering Committee’s final recommendations outline several key elements for expanding participation in the ICC Code Development Process, including:

• Online collaboration for stakeholders in the development of Code Change and Public Comment submittals as well as collaboration in preparation for participating at hearings.
• Establishing a two-week period following the Committee Action Hearing for online voting on assembly motions by all ICC Members. Successful assembly motions will continue to result in an automatic public comment. Committee recommendations remain as the initial motion for the Public Comment Hearing.
• Establishing a two-week period following the Public Comment Hearing for online voting by Governmental Members based on the actions that occurred on the Individual Consideration Agenda at the Public Comment Hearing. The online voting ballot will include the results from the Public Comment Hearing and access to video and other content of record from the hearing. The results will be added to the vote count from the Public Comment Hearing to determine the final disposition of the code change.

A flow chart (www.iccsafe.org/cdpACCESSFlowChart) has been created to illustrate the new process.

Testing of the online Governmental Consensus Vote will occur in October in Atlantic City at the 2013 Public Comment Hearings. After system and process adjustments the 2014 Cycle for the IgCC will be a binding Beta test for the entire cdp ACCESS process.

As outlined in the Steering Committee’s reports, the required registration periods for in-person and online voting participants will be increased, and the new system will use state-of-the-art security technology to help preserve the integrity of ICC’s governmental consensus Code Development Process. The in-person and online voting processes will maintain compliance with federal guidelines for consensus and accessibility.

The concept of online participation in ICC’s Code Development Process dates back to 2001 where off-site voting on code changes was used by the three model code organizations that later consolidated to become the Code Council, according to William D. Dupler, Code Council Board Immediate Past President and current Chair of the cdp ACCESS Steering Committee.

“As code enforcement officials our job is safety in the built environment,” Dupler said. “This inclusive action will benefit the citizens and jurisdictions we serve, especially those with limited resources to participate in the Code Council’s governmental consensus Code Development Process. It’s not just about having the funds to attend the hearings; it’s also about having the time to do it.”

Members and other Code Development Process stakeholders can email questions and comments to cdpACCESS@iccsafe.org along with their name and phone number for a timely response.

The International Code Council is a Member-focused association dedicated to helping the building safety community and construction industry provide safe and sustainable construction through the development of codes and standards used in the design, build and compliance process. Most U.S. communities and many global markets choose the International Codes.