SESSION ON AREAS OF REGULATORY & ADMINISTRATIVE CONCERN AND FUTURE NCSBCS /AMCBO ACTION

October 22, 2003 – Portland, Oregon

INFORMATION/ RESEARCH

• ISO RATINGS – Work with ISO to gather and disseminate to members information coming out of their analysis of ratings; especially interested in ISO analysis of resources needed by building departments/staffing/etc.
  
• DAMAGE ASSESSMENT – Contact Texas A&M and obtain information on the protocol they have established for damage assessment. Coordinate effort with Texas A&M and AMCBO/NCSBCS to get FEMA to recognize when states/localities use.

• CERT TRAINING FUNDED BY FEMA – Gather information on ways in which non-first responders can be included in CERT training.

• DISASTER TRACKING – Work with FEMA and software industry to identify and share with states/localities software for disaster tracking.

• LICENSING CONTRACTORS – Assemble and share information with states and localities on how they license contractors.

• SUSTAINABILITY – Assemble and disseminate information to state and local building departments on how codes and codes enforcement programs are addressing sustainability requirements.

• NIST RESEARCH – Assemble from states and localities and share with NIST areas in building regulatory oversight that are in need of additional research, e.g. emergency lighting levels.

• MARKET DYNAMICS AND IMPACT ON CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING REGULATORY PROCESSES – Develop materials and share information to help government understand the connection to their staffing/resources. What goes into developers financial analysis?

• ATTRACTING NEW EMPLOYEES – Develop materials to help building departments attract new employees. Core courses. Establish training requirements for entering the field. Assist in finding sources of new employees for building departments. Develop internships for people who want to get into the field.

• NCSBCS SUPPORT PRIVATE SECTOR INTEROPERABILITY – Seek input from hardware and software private sector to support interoperability.

• ASSISTANCE WITH BI- & MULTI-LINGUAL OUTREACH – Develop or assist in the development of outreach materials to the multi-lingual communities.
  

COORDINATED ACTION ON REGULATORY ISSUES

• SINGLE COORDINATED FAMILY OF MODEL BUILDING CODES AND STANDARS FOR NATION – Work to support one code. Take position that ICC and NFPA must work together to provide to nation for state and locals to adopt.

• MUTUAL AID PROGRAMS FOR STATES – Develop and support adoption of state-to-state, city-to-city, and county-to-county mutual aid agreements for building codes departments, e.g. Kansas City, MO and KS.

• STREAMLINING BEST PRACTICES – Continue Alliance project and expand number of best practices in regulatory streamlining. Seek implementation grants from federal government. (Resolution #4 before voting body at Portland meeting.)

• FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAWS/REGULATIONS OVERLAP AND CONFLICT WITH STATE AND LOCAL CODES ADMINISTRATION – Work with federal government to develop program to eliminate overlap, duplication and conflict between federal agencies and between federal level of government and state and local governments in the area of building codes and public safety. (James Hanna White Paper and Resolution #5 before voting body at Portland meeting.)

• INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE IN NCSBCS – Form a committee/subcommittee for software/hardware industry providers to provide input to state and local code administrators/regulators on interoperability, software needs, procurement and use in the building regulatory process.

(NCSBCS Board on 10/22 approved the establishment of the Information Technology Advisory Subcommittee to the NCSBCS Regulatory Affairs Committee.)

• STATES ROLE IN THE FEDERAL MANUFACTURED HOUSING PROGRAM – Help member states with SAA/state role in Federal Manufactured Housing Program. Line between manufactured housing and modulars being blurred; state authority over modulars eroded.

• REHAB OF MANUFACTURED HOMES – Provide states with information on how to regulate rehabed manufactured homes.

• CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUES – Identify and share information with state and local building officials on impact of construction techniques on code compliance, e.g. stucco and mold, energy code, weatherization. Where do we go with mold? What should be building department’s response to mold? (Look into Vancouver, Canada, on stucco.)
  

COORDINATED ACTION ON ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

• SURVEY – Draft and send out to AMCBO/NCSBCS members and other state and local building regulatory officials a survey on:

          - Salaries, job functions, classifications and training requirements for state
             and local code enforcement personnel. (Especially looking for training &
             salary standards for inspection and plans review personnel.)

• ISO – Write to ISO expressing concern with fact that jurisdiction appeals to ISO over their ratings are slow to be processed/answered. Look for way to expedite process time. (Insert comment in thank you letter for ISO presentation at 36^th Annual.)

• NIST – Work with NIST on implementation of National Construction Safety Team Act and the safety investigation teams and provide states/localities with information on how the investigation teams work; their powers and relationship with a jurisdiction’s building department personnel. (Are there federal guidelines here? If so what are they? If not, are they needed and can NCSBCS/AMCBO assist in generating them?)

• PUBLIC RELATIONS – Compile and share examples of good public relations/outreach programs. Seek funding for PSA’s that can be run nationwide or tailored by jurisdiction to their local media. Strengthen National (International) Building Safety Week.

          -  Explain/stress what is the safety issue involved in complying with a code
             and getting a permit. Why do we administer the code?

• STREAMLINING – ALLIANCE – BEST PRACTICES WITH LIMITED RESOURCES – Assemble best practices in special inspections and self-certification. Who else is using? What benchmarks do they apply? When doing more with less, where do you concentrate limited resources to assure maximum public safety?

• ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAMS AND LOOK INTO CERTIFYING BUILDING OFFICIALS – Get more information out to states/localities on existing Academy (IAPCA) training on effective codes administration and consider IAPCA certifying building officials and inspectors; develop train-the-trainer programs.

• RECIPROCITY BETWEEN STATES FOR CERTIFIED BUILDING OFFICIALS – Develop national standard with minimal guidelines for training to which states certify building officials.