HOUSE BILL No. 6140

 

September 9, 2004, Introduced by Rep. Stakoe and referred to the Committee on Regulatory Reform.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1986 PA 54, entitled                                              

                                                                                

    "Building officials and inspectors registration act,"                       

                                                                                

    by amending section 10 (MCL 338.2310).                                      

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 10.  (1) Performing instructional duties for                           

                                                                                

2   educational purposes and providing contractual inspection and               

                                                                                

3   consulting services in  construction  code enforcement  shall               

                                                                                

4   are not  be  considered conflicts of interest.                              

                                                                                

5       (2) An inspector shall not be permitted to inspect his or                   

                                                                                

6   her own work in a governmental subdivision.  As used in this                

                                                                                

7   subsection and subsection (3), "governmental subdivision" means             

                                                                                

8   governmental subdivision as defined in section 2(1)(t) of the               

                                                                                

9   state construction code act of 1972, Act No. 230 of the Public              

                                                                                

10  Acts of 1972, being section 125.1502 of the Michigan Compiled               

                                                                                

11  Laws.                                                                       

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       (2)  (3)  A governmental subdivision may establish                          

                                                                                

2   additional requirements and restrictions in the selection and               

                                                                                

3   hiring of  construction  code enforcement officials, inspectors,            

                                                                                

4   and plan reviewers.                                                         

                                                                                

5       (3)  (4)  This act  shall  does not  be construed to  limit                 

                                                                                

6   or restrict the type of internal administrative organization an             

                                                                                

7   enforcing agency may choose  , or to  and does not limit or                 

                                                                                

8   otherwise affect the authority of the enforcing agency to dismiss           

                                                                                

9   or suspend a building official, inspector, or plan reviewer at              

                                                                                

10  its discretion.                                                             

                                                                                

11      (4) A registrant shall not perform any activities for which                 

                                                                                

12  he or she is registered on any project if he or she has a                   

                                                                                

13  conflict of interest described in subsection (5).                           

                                                                                

14      (5) Each of the following circumstances is considered a                     

                                                                                

15  conflict of interest under this section:                                    

                                                                                

16      (a) A registrant is directly or indirectly connected with a                 

                                                                                

17  business in which he or she is employed or acting as an                     

                                                                                

18  inspector, plan reviewer, or building official regarding that               

                                                                                

19  business.                                                                   

                                                                                

20      (b) A registrant has an interest directly or indirectly in                  

                                                                                

21  any written or verbal contract affecting the construction of any            

                                                                                

22  building or structure or the furnishing of materials, appliances,           

                                                                                

23  equipment, or labor affecting the construction of the building or           

                                                                                

24  structure.                                                                  

                                                                                

25      (c) A registrant has a personal ownership interest in all, or               

                                                                                

26  a portion of, the business entity performing the work in the                

                                                                                

27  construction of a building or structure for which the registrant            


                                                                                

1   is making decisions in the administration and enforcement of                

                                                                                

2   codes or standards.                                                         

                                                                                

3       (d) A registrant conducts inspections in a construction                     

                                                                                

4   project in which the registrant or the construction company                 

                                                                                

5   employing him or her sought work on the construction project.               

                                                                                

6       (6) Within 30 days after a conflict of interest described in                

                                                                                

7   subsection (5) is identified by, or reported to, an enforcing               

                                                                                

8   agency, the enforcing agency shall report the claim of conflict             

                                                                                

9   of interest to the chief elected official of the governmental               

                                                                                

10  subdivision, or his or her designee, and request an investigation           

                                                                                

11  of the claim.  Within 30 days after receipt of a report filed               

                                                                                

12  under this subsection, the chief elected official, or his or her            

                                                                                

13  designee, shall conduct an investigation and file a report of the           

                                                                                

14  findings to the bureau of construction codes and fire safety.               

                                                                                

15      (7) If the investigation of the enforcing agency determines                 

                                                                                

16  the existence of a conflict of interest described in subsection             

                                                                                

17  (5), the enforcing agency shall remove the registrant from the              

                                                                                

18  responsibility of administering and enforcing the codes on the              

                                                                                

19  specific project in which a conflict of interest has been                   

                                                                                

20  determined.                                                                 

                                                                                

21      (8) Upon receipt of information by the bureau of construction               

                                                                                

22  codes and fire safety that an enforcing agency has failed to                

                                                                                

23  investigate a facially valid claim of conflict of interest or has           

                                                                                

24  failed to take appropriate action under subsection (7) within 30            

                                                                                

25  days after its receipt, the bureau of construction codes and fire           

                                                                                

26  safety shall conduct a performance evaluation of the enforcing              

                                                                                

27  agency and report its findings in writing to the commission                 


                                                                                

1   pursuant to section 9b of the code.                                         

                                                                                

2       (9) If a person alleges that an enforcing agency has failed                 

                                                                                

3   to investigate a facially valid claim of conflict of interest or            

                                                                                

4   alleges that the enforcing agency has failed to remove the                  

                                                                                

5   registrant from the responsibility of administering and enforcing           

                                                                                

6   codes on a specific project when the enforcing agency had                   

                                                                                

7   determined that a conflict of interest exists, that person may              

                                                                                

8   file a complaint with the bureau of construction codes and fire             

                                                                                

9   safety requesting a performance evaluation.  Upon the receipt of            

                                                                                

10  a facially valid complaint filed pursuant to this subsection, the           

                                                                                

11  bureau of construction codes and fire safety shall conduct a                

                                                                                

12  performance evaluation and report the finding in writing to the             

                                                                                

13  commission.                                                                 

                                                                                

14      (10) If the commission determines that an enforcing agency                  

                                                                                

15  has failed to investigate a facially valid claim or failed to               

                                                                                

16  take appropriate action against a registrant based upon a                   

                                                                                

17  determination of conflict of interest, the commission shall issue           

                                                                                

18  a notice of intent to withdraw code enforcement responsibility              

                                                                                

19  from the enforcing agency on the basis of failure to administer             

                                                                                

20  and enforce the code and this act.  An enforcing agency may                 

                                                                                

21  appeal the decision of the commission made under this subsection            

                                                                                

22  pursuant to the provisions of the code.                                     

                                                                                

23      (11) As used in this section, "governmental subdivision"                    

                                                                                

24  means that term as defined in section 2a of the code.                       

                                                                                

25      Enacting section 1.  This amendatory act does not take                      

                                                                                

26  effect unless all of the following bills of the 92nd Legislature            

                                                                                

27  are enacted into law:                                                       


                                                                                

1       (a) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 6141  (request                  

                                                                                

2   no. 05947'03 a).                                                            

                                                                                

3       (b) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 6142  (request                  

                                                                                

4   no. 05947'03 b).                                                            

                                                                                

5       (c) Senate Bill No. _____ or House Bill No. 6143  (request                  

                                                                                

6   no. 05947'03 c).