SAVANNAH, GA-- The National Conference of Insurance Legislators has adopted a model law for minimum statewide building standards at its spring meeting here.
North Dakota Rep. George Keiser, R-Bismarck, sponsored the legislation approved at Friday's session, which he said offers comprehensive guidance to states interested in establishing a statewide building standard.
He noted local governments could establish even stricter codes in response to conditions in their area.
Neil Alldredge, senior state advocacy director for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said there still remain numerous states that do not have any minimal building code requirement, and this model legislation could help spur action to create a basic set of building guidelines.
Mr. Alldredge said that Florida's enforcement of building codes after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 proved to have positive impact on the amount of damage suffered from the storms of 2004-05.
Tammy Velasquez, American Insurance Association vice president, said that helping to reduce deaths and injuries and property damage by enforcing strong building codes is an important part of the AIA agenda, and she praised NCOIL for approving the model law.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.