Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building And Safety Codes topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate concurs to add Montana State Fire Chiefs representative to Building Codes Council
Summary
The Senate concurred with House Bill 144, adding a seat for the Montana State Fire Chiefs Association on the Building Codes Council to provide fire-safety perspective; some senators argued existing representation of the State Fire Marshal made the new seat unnecessary.
The Montana Senate concurred with House Bill 144, which increases the Building Codes Council membership from 12 to 13 by adding a representative from the Montana State Fire Chiefs Association.
Sponsor Senator Lamers said the added member would strengthen the council's capacity to apply and interpret state building codes and would bring fire-safety experience to housing and building decisions. "The Fire Chiefs Association... will give them a seat at the table and they'll help us make it a safer environment for building and just a safer Montana," Lamers said on the floor.
Opponents noted the State Fire Marshal or the marshal’s designee already sits on the council and warned the change might duplicate representation; Senators Lenz and Hemmerich urged a no vote for that reason. The sponsor and supporters argued the fire chiefs bring a distinct local municipal perspective. The Senate recorded concurrence on second reading (29 ayes, 21 nays as recorded by the clerk).
House Bill 144 adds the fire chiefs representative as a specified member and clarifies qualifications for that slot; no floor amendments were recorded.
