SENATE BILL No. 1125

 

 

March 25, 2004, Introduced by Senators PATTERSON, CASSIS, SWITALSKI, JACOBS and HARDIMAN and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1937 PA 306, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "An act to promote the safety, welfare, and educational interests           

    of the people of the state of Michigan by regulating the                    

    construction, reconstruction, and remodeling of certain public or           

    private school buildings or additions to such buildings, by                 

    regulating the construction, reconstruction, and remodeling of              

    buildings leased or acquired for school purposes, and to define             

    the class of buildings affected by this act; to prescribe the               

    powers and duties of certain state agencies and officials; to               

    prescribe penalties for the violation of this act; and to repeal            

    acts and parts of acts,"                                                    

                                                                                

    by amending section 1b (MCL 388.851b), as added by 2002 PA 628.             

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1b.  (1) Except as provided in subsection (5), the                     

                                                                                

2   department is responsible for the administration and enforcement            

                                                                                

3   of this act and the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state                      

                                                                                

4   construction code act,  of  1972,  1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1501 to             

                                                                                

5   125.1531, in each school building in this state.                            

                                                                                

6       (2) Except as provided in subsection (5), a school building                 

                                                                                

7   covered by bond issues that were approved by the department of              


                                                                                

1   treasury after July 1, 2003 shall not be constructed, remodeled,            

                                                                                

2   or reconstructed in this state until written approval of the                

                                                                                

3   plans and specifications is obtained from the department                    

                                                                                

4   indicating that the school building will be designed and                    

                                                                                

5   constructed in conformance with the code.  This subsection does             

                                                                                

6   not apply to any school building for which construction is                  

                                                                                

7   covered by bond issues that were approved by the department of              

                                                                                

8   treasury before July 1, 2003.                                               

                                                                                

9       (3) Responsibility for inspections of school buildings shall                

                                                                                

10  be determined by 1 of the following methods:                                

                                                                                

11      (a) By an independent third party designated in the contract                

                                                                                

12  governing the construction, remodeling, or reconstruction of a              

                                                                                

13  school building.  The independent third party shall be                      

                                                                                

14  responsible for all inspections required to insure compliance               

                                                                                

15  with the code.  The school authority shall verify that the                  

                                                                                

16  independent third party named is knowledgeable about construction           

                                                                                

17  practices and codes and is otherwise qualified to conduct the               

                                                                                

18  inspections.  The name of the independent third party to be                 

                                                                                

19  responsible for conducting inspections shall be submitted to the            

                                                                                

20  department with the plans and specifications required by                    

                                                                                

21  subsection (2).  If the department determines that the                      

                                                                                

22  independent third party is not qualified to conduct the                     

                                                                                

23  inspections or is not an independent third party, it shall                  

                                                                                

24  disapprove of the designation and notify the school authority.              

                                                                                

25  All inspection reports prepared by the person designated by the             

                                                                                

26  school authority under this subdivision shall be sent to the                

                                                                                

27  department upon completion of the inspection.  The department may           


                                                                                

1   return the report for further work if there are questions                   

                                                                                

2   relating to the scope of the inspection or whether the                      

                                                                                

3   construction, remodeling, or reconstruction meets the                       

                                                                                

4   requirements of the code.                                                   

                                                                                

5       (b) If a designation of an independent third party is not                   

                                                                                

6   made as required under subdivision (a), the inspections required            

                                                                                

7   to insure compliance with the code will be performed by the                 

                                                                                

8   department or as provided under subsection (5).                             

                                                                                

9       (4) Except as provided in subsection (5), the department                    

                                                                                

10  shall perform for school buildings all plan reviews within 60               

                                                                                

11  days from the date the plans are filed or considered approved and           

                                                                                

12  inspections within 5 business days as required by the code and              

                                                                                

13  shall be the enforcing agency for this act.                                 

                                                                                

14      (5) The department shall delegate the responsibility for the                

                                                                                

15  administration and enforcement of this act to the applicable                

                                                                                

16  agency if both the school board and the governing body of the               

                                                                                

17  governmental subdivision have annually certified to the                     

                                                                                

18  department, in a manner prescribed by the department, that                  

                                                                                

19  full-time code officials, inspectors, and plan reviewers                    

                                                                                

20  registered under the building officials and inspectors                      

                                                                                

21  registration act, 1986 PA 54, MCL 338.2301 to 338.2313, will                

                                                                                

22  conduct plan reviews and inspections of school buildings.                   

                                                                                

23      (6) This section does not affect the responsibilities of the                

                                                                                

24  department under the fire prevention code, 1941 PA 207, MCL 29.1            

                                                                                

25  to 29.34.  The bureau of construction codes and the office of               

                                                                                

26  fire safety in the department shall jointly develop procedures to           

                                                                                

27  use the plans and specifications submitted in carrying out the              


                                                                                

1   requirements of this act and the fire prevention code, 1941 PA              

                                                                                

2   207, MCL 29.1 to 29.34.  A certificate of occupancy shall not be            

                                                                                

3   issued by the appropriate code enforcement agency until a                   

                                                                                

4   certificate of approval has been issued under the fire prevention           

                                                                                

5   code, 1941 PA 207, MCL 29.1 to 29.34.                                       

                                                                                

6       (7) This section applies to construction, remodeling, or                    

                                                                                

7   reconstruction of school buildings that are covered by bond                 

                                                                                

8   issues that were approved by the department of treasury after               

                                                                                

9   July 1, 2003.  Construction, remodeling, or reconstruction of               

                                                                                

10  school buildings that are covered by bond issues approved before            

                                                                                

11  July 1, 2003 shall submit the plans and specifications to the               

                                                                                

12  department for approval under section 1.  The department shall              

                                                                                

13  not grant approval until it has received the certification                  

                                                                                

14  described in section 3 relative to fire safety and from the                 

                                                                                

15  appropriate health department relative to water supply,                     

                                                                                

16  sanitation, and food handling.                                              

                                                                                

17      (8) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

18      (a) "Approved by the department of treasury" means the                      

                                                                                

19  qualification authorizing a school district to issue municipal              

                                                                                

20  securities under section 303(3) of the revised municipal finance            

                                                                                

21  act, 2001 PA 34, MCL 141.2303, or preliminary qualification under           

                                                                                

22  section 4(1)(f) of 1961 PA 108, MCL 388.954.                                

                                                                                

23      (b)  (a)  "Code" means the state construction code provided                 

                                                                                

24  for in the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code             

                                                                                

25  act, 1972 PA 230, MCL 125.1501 to 125.1531.                                 

                                                                                

26      (c)  (b)  "Construction"  shall have the same meaning as                    

                                                                                

27  means that term  is  as defined  under  in section 2a of the                


                                                                                

1   Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act, 1972 PA           

                                                                                

2   230, MCL 125.1502a.                                                         

                                                                                

3       (d)  (c)  "Department" means the department of  consumer and                

                                                                                

4   industry services  labor and economic growth.