Summary of Member Meeting on January 9, 2018

Alliance for Regulatory Coordination

Summary of Member Meeting

Meeting Date: January 9, 2018

Location: Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

The meeting was convened at 9:05 a.m. by Bob DuPont, of Regulatory Guidance and Design, LLC. Attendees introduced themselves and identified the organizations they were representing.

Regarding proposed legislation, DuPont reported on several bills as follows:

• • Senate Bill 534 and Assembly Bill 641, relating to building and plumbing plan review delegation by the DSPS, both had amendments to them offered at the request of the ARC. The amendments concern municipal review of plans for building alterations. SB 534 is up for Committee vote today, and AB 641 is set for Committee vote on January 11, 2018.

  • Assembly Bill 187, relating to wedding barns, is set for Committee hearing on January 11, 2018. DuPont said he was prepared to testify for information at the hearing; recognizing the efforts of Representative Tranel to improve the bill as it relates to the nine safety-related issues raised by the ARC. There was general agreement on that plan of action.

Regarding possible carbon monoxide update legislation, DuPont reported that the DSPS may run out of time to get a bill introduced on this matter, due the legislative session ending this April. He will continue to encourage the DSPS to take action during this session, but cautioned that we may have to wait until the next legislative session for a bill to be introduced.

Regarding the commercial building code legal status, DuPont reaffirmed that he believes the Attorney General’s Opinion on DSPS authority to promulgate rules on sprinklers is wrong, referring to the information he previously sent to ARC members. He reported that the DSPS held a meeting of the Commercial Building Code Council on December 28, 2017. During that meeting, the Department confirmed that, on December 18, 2017, the Department submitted the Commercial Building Code Change Proposal, Clearinghouse Rule No. 16-094, to the legislature for review. The DSPS said their proposal repeals certain sprinkler rules to align with the statutory interpretation of the Attorney General. Council members were reported as concerned with the lack of Council involvement in development of rules related to fire safety in multifamily dwellings, including rules needed to deal with sprinkler trade-offs, where sprinklers would not be installed in buildings containing fewer than 20 units.

Regarding possible next steps to be taken by the ARC relative to sprinklers, DuPont asked whether ARC members wanted to ask legislative committees to object to the DSPS code change proposal. He also asked whether ARC members wanted to take any action relative to the Attorney General’s Opinion. John Schulze said the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin had decided to stay neutral in the aforementioned matters related to sprinklers. As a result, because it takes unanimous consent of all Classic ARC Members for the ARC to take a position on matters, it was determined that the ARC will stay neutral as well.

Discussion then turned to possible resolutions to the situation that individual ARC member organizations might want to pursue. DuPont agreed to continue his past role as technical advisor to ARC members, leaving any lobbying to individual ARC member organizations.

The next meeting of Alliance Members was scheduled for April 25, 2018, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. The next meeting of the ARC Fire Safety Team was scheduled to occur that same day from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Both meetings will be held at the offices of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

This summary was prepared by Bob DuPont, Regulatory Guidance and Design, LLC.

It was issued on February 27, 2018.