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HB 1575, Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission, authored by Rep. Tim O’Brien (R - Evansville), was introduced to stop the current Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission’s efforts to update Indiana’s outdated building codes. Unfortunately, this bill passed out of the Senate on April 10 with a vote count of 33-15. Thank you to all the Hoosier AIA members and friends for contacting your state legislators asking them to oppose HB 1575!
HB 1575 will force the removal of many experts from the current Commission who are essential to protecting public safety in Indiana’s built environment and they will be replaced by mostly residential builders, who have testified their primary concern is the cost resulting from updated building codes. If passed, the composition of the new Commission will not have the expertise needed to review complex structures such as hospitals, schools, research and manufacturing facilities, etc. AIA Indiana strongly opposes HB 1575!
As introduced, HB 1575 called for the creation of a separate residential building commission within the Department of Homeland Security. The bill was amended in the Senate Local Government Committee and no longer calls for the creation of a separate residential building commission. However, HB 1575 now calls for the removal of many experts from the current Commission, requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Commission members in order to adopt a new building code instead of a simple majority, and allows for no more than three codes to be updated annually and then prohibits the Commission from updating a building code for at least five years. All of this will result in continued setbacks to advancing building safety and adhering to modern standards in Indiana.
The advocates (Indiana Builders Association, Habitat for Humanity, Indiana Apartment Association) for HB 1575 have consistently opposed efforts to update our antiquated building codes. Hoosiers deserve to be protected from hazards in public spaces and where they live. Updated building codes allow for current technology and design standards which are vital not only for life safety but also essential to attracting economic development that comes from efficient design and construction of needed facilities in our communities. New projects often need variances from old codes to be built and that costs time and money.
Because HB 1575 was amended in the Senate, the bill will now either be accepted by the House author or dissented upon, in which the bill will then be debated in a conference committee. Regardless, this bad bill will very likely become law.
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