• Since our last report, we have joined as a sponsor of the Center for State and Local Government Excellence’s annual Award for Local Government Workforce Excellence. The Center is a dynamic and innovative organization that helps state and local governments become competitive employers, in order to attract and retain talented public servants.
• The Department of Energy is now promoting electric vehicles in 24 states and the District of Columbia, which means there will be a new demand for more charging stations and infrastructure to support them, which in turn requires new codes and standards to ensure their safe implementation. GR representatives Bruce Johnson and Dave Karmol have been tracking progress on issues involving electric vehicles and coordinating with the ANSI EV Standards Project in order to bring together all of the relevant stakeholders as this new technology becomes increasingly implemented.
• The Office of Government Ethics is considering new rules for limiting gifts that federal employees can receive from registered lobbyists and lobbying organizations and is proposing a ban on lobbyist gifts for appointees required to sign the Ethics Pledge as outlined in Executive Order 13490. As a nonprofit professional organization, however, ICC would continue to remain exempt from these rules, as law already limits the lobbying that nonprofit organizations can do, leaving GR’s day-to-day operations largely unaffected, and if anything, may improve its efficiency.
• The Build Strong America coalition, a coalition that ICC is actively involved in to support enactment of the Safe Building Codes Act of 2011, has launched a new Facebook page. The page is designed to show support for the legislation, by recording “likes” for the legislation, which can be used by the coalition to demonstrate widespread support for the Safe Building Codes Act. The page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Build-Strong-America/195406550521674. Please visit and “like” Build Strong America.
• The Code Council's Safe Building Codes Incentive Act of 2011 (HR 2069) received positive press on the hill from Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Albio Sires (D-NJ). Their guest opinion-editorial "Strong Model Building Codes Equal Disaster Defense" was published in the Roll Call CQ publication and calls for adoption of the Safe Building Codes Act. This common-sense legislation would reward states for doing the right thing and adopting the latest IBC and IRC. States that adopt and enforce the latest codes, on a statewide basis, would receive increased disaster mitigation funding to assist in the enforcement of building codes and other mitigation activities. Enforcing the latest national model codes makes homes and buildings more resistant to disasters, and save lives and property. Write your Congressman, and ask him or her to co-sponsor this legislation. Or send a letter of support today.
• We continue to work with our local members on several state issues related to code review and adoption cycles.
• We are in the process of finalizing the agenda for the GR Forum to be held at the ABM. More on this as time approaches.