GSA Releases Updated Design Standards in Move Toward Zero Emissions August 08, 2024 On August 5, 2024, the US General Services Administration (GSA) released an update to the federal design standards to advance building efficiency, reduce emissions, and increase resilience. Updated every three years, the Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service (P100) establish mandatory design and construction standards and performance criteria for 300,000 federal buildings nationwide. Read More
IIBEC Calls on Baltimore City Council to Protect the Primacy of the Designer of Record July 10, 2024 On June 28, 2024, IIBEC sent a letter to the Baltimore City Council concerning Council Bill 21-0160, which mandates that all new construction (commercial and residential) and additions must install a cool roof. An earlier version of the bill only applied to buildings partly financed with city funds, but just before the city council voted on passage it was amended to include all residential and commercial roofs. Read More
Michigan Panel Passes IIBEC-Backed QBS Bill June 23, 2024 On June 18, 2024, a Michigan legislative panel approved legislation that would expand the use of qualifications-based selection (QBS) for the selection of architect and engineering design (A/E/D) professionals, sending it to the full House for a vote. Read More
IIBEC Opposition Helps Defeat Anti-QBS Bill in Illinois June 09, 2024 IIBEC, in conjunction with other design and construction groups, succeeded in killing legislation in Illinois that would sidestep the qualifications-based selection (QBS) of architects, engineers, and design professionals. Introduced in the Illinois state senate in late April, S. 3932 would have amended the state procurement code to allow state agencies and school districts to use job order contracting (cooperative purchasing) to procure construction services—which, as defined in the bill, include architecture/engineering/design services. Read More
IIBEC Signs Coalition Letters Supporting Building Codes May 30, 2024 During the past month, IIBEC signed two coalition letters in support of building codes that were sent to US congressional committees. Read More
Bob Card Testifies Before Washington State Legislature on Code Council Process Bill February 01, 2024 Bob Card, F-IIBEC, RBEC, RRC, RWC, REWC, REWO, and former IIBEC president, testified January 30, 2024, before a Washington state House committee in support of legislation that would streamline the State Building Code Council’s process for considering new model codes. In mid-January IIBEC identified a pair of fast-moving bills pending before the Washington state legislature—SB 6291 and HR 2465—that would improve how the code council works and therefore increase the probability that the state would update its codes on a regular basis, a policy position IIBEC supports. IIBEC teamed with its Puget Sound Chapter to send a letter endorsing SB 6291 to Washington’s State Government & Elections Committee, which was scheduled to hold a January 26 hearing on the bill. Read More
Department of Labor Expands Injury, Illness Reporting Requirement for Certain Large Employers December 10, 2023 The Department of Labor recently announced a new rule that requires large employers in high-hazard industries like construction to electronically submit injury and illness data. The final rule takes effect January 1, 2024. Specifically, the rule requires businesses with 100 or more employees in designated industries to submit case-specific information from the OSHA Form 300 Log and the OSHA Form 301 Incident Report. The data must be electronically submitted through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application. (Determine if your company is required to report these data and read more about recordkeeping and the injury tracking application.) Read More
North Carolina Republicans Override Veto of Bill Overhauling Construction Code Commission August 25, 2023 On August 16, 2023, North Carolina Republicans flexed their legislative supermajority muscles and created six new laws by overriding Democratic Governor Roy Cooper’s vetoes of those bills. Of the six bills, House Bill 488 reformed the way construction codes are developed. H.B. 488, backed by the North Carolina Home Builders Association, was opposed by many other construction, design, safety, and environmental organizations. IIBEC sent a letter to every member of the North Carolina legislature urging them to let the veto stand and take up the reform effort again in the next session. Read More
IIBEC Expresses Appreciation to Washington’s Building Code Council for Improved Secondary Drainage Requirements August 17, 2023 By John Boling In an August 16 letter to Washington’s State Building Code Council, IIBEC Executive Vice President and CEO Brian Pallasch joined with IIBEC Puget Sound Chapter Vice President Darbi Krumpos to express appreciation for including more robust requirements for design of secondary drainage in a package of expedited rules expected to go into […] Read More
IIBEC Testimony Calls for Changes to Bill Promoting Solar-Panel Installation at Schools July 19, 2023 On July 17, 2023, IIBEC submitted to a Massachusetts state legislative panel testimony recommending changes to a bill under consideration that would promote installing solar panels on the roofs of eligible schools. The bill, S. 2127, was the subject of a hearing by the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. The proposed legislation would create the Healthy and Sustainable Schools Office, which would coordinate an energy audit of all public schools and then, based on the metrics in the bill, implement the recommended energy efficiency improvements and install renewable energy systems on or near school property. Read More
