State building‑inspection privatization proposal draws union opposition and calls for staffing solutions

A proposal to authorize certification of independent inspection firms for building code inspections raised strong pushback from labor unions and building‑inspection staff. Travis Woodward (CSEA/SEIU Local 2001) told the committee HB 7029 would shift a core governmental safety function to private firms certifying their own work and would create accountability gaps. He warned the bill as drafted gives the state Department of Administrative Services (DAS) wide discretion to create a certification program without legislative specifics about oversight, reporting, or how third‑party inspections would be procured and monitored. Union representatives and municipal inspection advocates argued the correct remedy for inspection bottlenecks is investment in public inspection units and targeted contracting for specialized expertise, not a broad privatization program. They noted DAS and some municipalities already supplement inspection capacity with consulting inspectors when specialized skills are needed and urged the committee to support recruitment and training and to standardize pathways into municipal inspection work. Proponents of the bill said it can relieve short‑term backlogs and speed development in some markets, but committee members pressed for clearer safeguards, procurement rules, transparency, and protections to avoid conflicts of interest (for example, a developer hiring its own inspector). Committee takeaway: The committee heard unanimous support for improving inspection capacity. Lawmakers asked staff to produce options that expand public staffing/training and allow carefully scoped supplemental third‑party expertise under strict public procurement and reporting standards rather than broad privatization as drafted.