An insurance industry group is asking Louisiana lawmakers to work out the differences between two bills establishing stronger building codes in the waning days of the state legislative special session.
With the special session scheduled to end tomorrow, the National Association of Mutual Insurance companies sent a letter to state Sen. Ken Hollis, R-Metairie, and Rep. Gil Pinac, D-Crowley. Sen. Hollis is the author of Senate Bill 44, and Rep. Pinac authored House Bill 76.
"NAMIC commends your leadership in authoring legislation addressing the issue and hopes the differences between Senate Bill 44 and House Bill 76 can be worked out during the remaining days of the special session," wrote Tami Stanton, central region state affairs manager for NAIMC. "Our members strongly support the passage of a rigorous, standardized building code for the state of Louisiana."
The establishment of building codes has taken on increased importance in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, with state insurance commissioners recently having told a congressional committee that it was clear in the aftermath of those storms which buildings had been built since codes were enacted, and which were not.
NAMIC had been seeking to bring attention to the issue even before then, establishing the "Building Code Coalition," whose sole purpose is to encourage Congress to pass legislation that would create an incentive for states to adopt a statewide building code, earlier this year.
Noting Benjamin Franklin's advice that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," Ms. Stanton said that, "As the citizens of Louisiana face the perils associated with hurricanes, Mr. Franklin's words remain relevant. The mitigation of future damage is essential to the economic future of the state, and the implementation of a statewide uniform building code is fundamental along with effective code enforcement."
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