[Durham INC] Bill That Limits Housing Improvements Moves to the House Floor

[Ed Harrison]

This nasty piece of legislation had some discussion by the INC list in recent days. This is a press release from the NC Sierra Club that states a number of reasons it needs to be stopped.  Stopping it is also a top priority of the NC League of Municipalities, of which the City of Durham (via Cora Cole McFadden and a number of staff people) is an active member. I believe there are enlightened homebuilders who oppose this legislation. 

Ed Harrison

> 
> For Immediate Release
> 
> March 6, 2013
> 
> Contact: Molly Diggins, molly.diggins at sierraclub.org, 919.833.8467
> 
> Bill That Limits Housing Improvements Moves to the House Floor
> Home Owners Interests Take a Back Seat to Special Interests
> 
> Raleigh - A measure sought by the NC Homebuilders Association that favors North Carolina’s builders at the expense of home buyers is barreling towards the House floor.
> 
> HB 120, Building Inspections/Local Consistency, was given a favorable report today in the Committee on Regulatory Reform, Subcommittee on Local Government.  This measure had a serial referral to the House Finance Committee, but that referral was stripped out today and the bill was placed on the House calendar for tomorrow.
> 
> HB 120 could cause new homes built in North Carolina to effectively lag behind the nation by as much as a decade for energy efficiency, storm readiness and other standards intended to improve comfort, health, safety, and energy costs.
> 
> “This measure puts North Carolinians at risk of substandard housing stock in order to boost the profits of  certain home builders.  at the expense of homeowners' monthly electric bills,” said Molly Diggins, State Director of the NC Sierra Club.  “Is this what regulatory reform this legislative session is going to look like?”
> 
> Under current North Carolina law, the building codes that govern a range of construction standards and practices for new buildings, from fire safety, to severe weather resistance, to energy performance, are updated as a matter of practice (not statute) every three years. This is consistent with the practice of other states, following the lead of the International Code Council, which updates national model codes every 3 years. 
> 
> “This bill will mean that many new homes in North Carolina will already be outdated on the day they are built,” said Diggins.  “It seems legislators have gone from trying to fix things that aren’t broken, to actually breaking things that work really well.  The current process has served our state well for many decades.”
> 
> HB 120, Building Inspections/Local Consistency, sponsored by Rep. Mike Hager, replaces the current discretionary table with a mandate that limits upgrades to the code to only be considered every six years.  For certain codes, the Building Code Council could be petitioned to make changes, but with no surety that the petition would be honored.
> 
> The change is significant for the consumer because:
> Many construction practices employed when a new home or commercial structure is built will remain in place for its lifespan, which could be in excess of 100 years.
> Codes protect long-term property investments and increase resale values.
> Codes help to stem escalation in insurance rates.  
> Energy efficient homes save homeowners money on power bills.
> 
> In the past, homebuilder interests have actively resisted changes to the residential code, both nationally and in North Carolina, although a growing green builder movement here at home has at times divided opinion.  The current North Carolina residential code (2012), which increased energy efficiency by 15%,  was the result of protracted negotiation and compromise.
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> Dustin Chicurel-Bayard
> Communications Director, NC Sierra Club
> 
> 919.833.8467 - o
> 609.529.7145 - c
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> -- 
> Molly Diggins, State Director
> NC Sierra Club
> 19  W. Hargett Street Suite 210
> Raleigh NC 27601
> 919.833-8467 
> molly.diggins at sierraclub.org
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