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This issue of ICC eNews is dedicated to the late Curt McCarty, Administrator, Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council, for playing a critical role in having the International Building Code adopted in Louisiana. Read more.
 

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Gear Up for Conference
 
The Code Council’s 2008 Annual Conference and Final Action Hearings take place September 14-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Events will include the ICC Expo‚ Education Program, Annual Business Meeting and much more. Be a part of code history. Register now.

Check Your Status
Modifications Due September 5
 
All Governmental Members should review their membership records for the Code Council’s 2008 Annual Conference in Minneapolis. Ensure your representatives can obtain their voting credentials for the Annual Business Meeting and Final Action Hearings. Don’t delay.
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Membership in Motion
New Membership Structure Changes
 
Beginning January 2009‚ the Code Council will significantly change its membership structure. These changes will simplify some member categories‚ and help balance individual categories with group categories. Highlights of the changes include:
Cooperating and Professional Member
categories will combine into one new Building Safety Professional category‚ with a reduced rate of $100.

Corporate Member categories will rise
to $350.

• Educational institutes and public benefit
non-profit associations will be covered under a discounted Corporate membership of just $175.
Federal Agency/Representative
distinctions will fall under the Governmental Member category.

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ICC eNews
July 21‚ 2008
Volume 5‚ Issue 11

Gold Winner
2008 Hermes Creative Awards
 

Code Council Testifies before Congress

 
 

Code Council CEO Rick Weiland told the Congressional committee that compliance with energy efficiency codes could be better achieved with financial support for code officials. “Without strong compliance‚ even the most positive code provisions have limited value‚” he said.

Testifying last week before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality‚ Code Council CEO Rick Weiland said the Council supports increasing energy efficiency in the built environment. Weiland told the Committee that compliance with energy efficiency codes could be better achieved with financial support for code officials, America's First Preventers. The House of Representatives approved and sent to the Senate the Community Building Code Administration Grant Act, legislation that would provide funding to local building departments to support code adoption and enforcement.
“Without strong compliance‚ even the most positive code provisions have limited value‚” Weiland said. “This is one area where a federal role is absolutely appropriate and critical to our overall effectiveness.”

Weiland also cited the National Green Building Standard (NGBS)‚ co-developed with the National Association of Home Builders‚ as another way the organization is supporting energy efficiency. He explained that Code Council Governmental members will consider approximately 100 proposed changes to the International Energy Conservation Code during the Final Action Hearings September 17-23 in Minneapolis.
“We are always ready to work with the Federal agencies‚” Weiland added. “We are now coordinating our SMARTcode efforts to automate code checking, including the energy code‚ through Building Information Modeling. This new technology will help agencies to better and more efficiently meet their own energy and environmental mandates from the Congress and the President.”
Read more about the Code Council’s testimony before Congress on energy efficiency.
 

House Passes CBCAG Act

Code Council CEO Rick Weiland (left) discusses the Community Building Code Administration Grant (CBCAG) Act with Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT). Weiland and Code Council representatives‚ including Michael Sinsigalli‚ Assistant Fire Chief of Loss Prevention for the West Hartford‚ Connecticut‚ Fire Department‚ met with Dodd in Washington‚ D.C.‚ after the House of Representatives passed the CBCAG Act‚ which moved the legislation to the Senate.

The Community Building Code Administration Grant (CBCAG) Act reached a milestone when members of the U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation on a voice vote. Typically‚ legislation that is not considered controversial is referred to a voice vote and recorded as passing with a two-thirds majority. CBCAG Act sponsor Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) presented the bill and Rep. Shelley Capito (R-WV) spoke in support for the minority.
“We are very excited that the House of Representatives has passed the CBCAG Act‚” said Code Council CEO Rick Weiland. “This legislation provides desperately needed resources to many vulnerable communities that do not have the trained personnel or tools to translate safety codes into proper compliance. With the bill moving through the Senate‚ we are inching closer to the major goal of supporting our First Preventers in the vital roles they play in protecting the public through implementation of building and fire safety.”
“Government at all levels is recognizing the central role in public safety preformed by code adoption and code compliance‚” said Steve Shapiro‚ President of the Code Council Board of Directors and himself a code official in Virginia. “The safety value of building and fire codes as well as the essential job done by code officials‚ America’s First Preventers‚ to prevent harm to people and property come into sharper focus when lawmakers consider how best to protect the public at home‚ at school‚ at work and at play.”
The legislation now goes to the Senate‚ where it is expected to be referred to the Banking Committee and where the Senate’s version of the bill is now being considered. The Banking Committee could act on the House or Senate version of the bill before it passes out of committee and goes to the full Senate for a vote.
“Now that the CBCAG Act has been passed by the House of Representatives‚ we encourage all of our nation’s First Preventers and local organizations to continue their effective mobilization of grassroots support for the legislation‚” said Sara Yerkes‚ Code Council Senior Vice President for Government Relations. “Please contact your senators and other government leaders and urge them to support this important legislation that will improve code compliance and greatly strengthen public safety in communities nationwide.”
Send your message of support for the CBCAG Act.

 

ANSI Approves New
Storm Shelter Standard

ICC 500-2008‚ the new standard for storm shelters‚ has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Board of Standards Review. The new standard provides ICC-supported technical specifications for the design‚ construction and performance of community shelters and residential safe rooms. One feature of the new standard increases minimum wind resistance requirements in the event of rare but strong storms. Now that it has been ANSI-approved jurisdictions can proceed immediately to adopt the new standard.
Plans are underway at the Code Council to host a press conference in Washington‚ D.C.‚ to explain to media the significance and relevance of the new standard.

 
New PMG Product Listings
Save 20 Percent Compared to Other Listing Agencies
ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) issued its first 10 listings for plumbing, mechanical and fuel gas (PMG) products. The ICC-ES PMG Listing Program provides evidence for manufacturers‚ building departments and consumers that approved products meet requirements in codes and standards. Learn more.
 

Sanitation Issues
Attracting Broad Attention

 
 
Children with water bottles in the Marshall Islands. Photo: Angel Santiago/FEMA.
More than 2.6 billion people worldwide lack basic sanitation facilities‚ according to the United Nations. This year’s World Toilet Summit and Expo (WTSE) will focus on the lack of funding for sanitation projects worldwide. The Code Council’s U.S. Pavilion‚ which will be a feature of the WTSTE 2008 Summit, has been awarded official U.S. Trade Fair Certification from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The pavilion will be established to provide information resources for businesses to leverage the huge revenue potentials that exist in the untapped international sanitation market. Read more.
 

I-Code Adoption Update
NYC‚ Maine Modernize Construction and Fire Safety Codes

New York City joins Dallas‚ Detroit‚ Houston‚ Philadelphia‚ Phoenix and thousands of other jurisdictions nationwide using the International Fire Code to improve safety for residents‚ visitors and emergency safety personnel. It’s the first comprehensive revision to the NYC fire code in nearly 100 years. Maine also has taken steps to adopt the International Codes. Read more.
 
Never miss a thing. Make ICC Daily News your home page.
New IAS Accreditation Program Helps Code Officials
2008 Proposed Bylaw Changes Unveiled
New Assessment of High-Performance Buildings
New Guides Reference Florida Code Changes
Code Council Foundation Helps Disabled Vet
 

Code Question: Expert Staff Opinions
Exterior Stairway Protection in the International Fire Code

Q: Are exterior exit stairs required to be separated from open-ended corridors by means of fire-resistive-rated construction?
Get the answer.
 
Code Update: Significant Code Changes
Venting of Regulators and Vent Piping

Venting provisions for pressure regulators have been clarified to require that the regulator be vented directly to the outdoors. Continue reading.

 
Code Spotlight: Featured Article
Nonstructural Component or Nonbuilding Structure?
How should the determination be made whether an item is treated as a nonstructural component or a nonbuilding structure for purposes of seismic design? View the guidelines.
 
SMARTcodes Demos Available
Build Your Way to Improved Safety
 
Automated code compliance checking of construction documents leads to greater building safety and performance‚ reduced construction costs‚ and timely design acceptance and approval. New SMARTcodes demo tutorials are available. Register now.
 

Building Departments
Strengthen Reputations

 
Through accreditation‚ building departments can discover how to reach their own potential‚ identify opportunities to become a high-performance organization‚ and raise the bar on what a building inspection department can be. The Rochester Hills Building Department earned national accreditation from the International Accreditation Service‚ making it the first in Michigan and eighth in the nation to receive the recognition. Read more.
 

DOJ to Adopt New ADA Standards

 
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to adopt new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/ Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines based on revised guidelines issued by the U.S. Access Board. Comments are due by August 18. The Access Board and the Code Council worked together extensively to coordinate the International Building Code and ICC/ANSI A117.1 Accessibility Standard with the new guidelines. Final adoption of this new standard by DOJ will make it considerably easier for architects/contractors/building owners to comply with federal accessibility laws and building code requirements. Read more.
 
The following links take you outside the Code Council’s website. We are not responsible for the content and privacy practices of outside websites.
States Act as Copper Thefts Continue to Plague Builders
The Role of the Architect as a Regulator
Builder Confidence Edges Down in June
Quake Research Provides Glimpse of How Structures Collapse
What Engineers Should Learn from the Big Dig Tragedy
Henry Green Named NIBS President
Florida Extends Deadline for Building Code Implementation
 

Building Codes Don’t Deter Green Building
New Excellence in Green Building Awards Introduced
Builder Recommendations on Affordable Green Housing
Learn the Liability of Building Green
The Code Council is leading the way in building green. Learn more.
Free green building email alerts available. Register here.


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