CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS H.B. 4730 (H-4):
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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House Bill 4730 (Substitute H-4 as passed by the House)
Sponsor: Representative Steve Bieda
House Committee: Regulatory Reform
Senate Committee: Health Policy
Date Completed: 5-20-08
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Single State Construction Code Act to do the following:
-- Require the Director of the Department of Labor and Economic Growth (DLEG) to promulgate rules regarding the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in hotels and motels.
-- Require the installation of at least one alarm in each dwelling unit or sleeping room.
-- Require the DLEG Director to include provisions regarding the installation of carbon monoxide alarms in the State Construction Code.
-- Provide immunity for a residential builder or contractor who installed a carbon monoxide detector properly.
"Carbon monoxide alarm" would mean a device designed to respond to the presence of carbon monoxide and provide an alarm suitable to alert the occupants of carbon monoxide levels below those that cause a loss of ability to react to the dangers of carbon monoxide exposure.
Beginning one year after the effective date of the rules, the bill would require the owner or operator of residential occupancies where the occupants are primarily transient in nature, including boarding houses, hotels, and motels, to install at least one carbon monoxide alarm in each dwelling unit or sleeping room, as provided in the rules.
The DLEG Director would have to promulgate rules that established standards and requirements for the installation of carbon monoxide alarms as required above. The rules, however, could not require hard-wired carbon monoxide detectors in all rooms. They would have to require a hard-wired detector in any space within 60 feet from the heating unit that had an alarm that was audible from the office.
Beginning the code cycle after the rules' effective date, the DLEG Director would have to include in the State Construction Code provisions requiring the installation of carbon monoxide alarms. Under such circumstances, the provisions in the Code would supersede the bill.
A licensed residential builder or maintenance and alteration contractor who was in compliance with the bill or rules promulgated under the Code and who installed, in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, a carbon monoxide detector meeting
current Underwriters Laboratories standards for that device at the time of installation, would have no liability, directly or indirectly, to any person with respect to the operation, maintenance, or effectiveness of the detector.
Proposed MCL 125.1504d Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.
Fiscal Analyst: Elizabeth Pratt
Maria Tyszkiewicz
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. hb4730/0708