How to Contact House and Senate Members
Remember, you can contact your House and Senate members in Montgomery by calling the House operator at (334) 242-7600 or the Senate operator at (334) 242-7800, or writing to them via the State House Office Building, Montgomery, Alabama 36130. You can also visit the Legislature's official web site at http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACASLogin.asp.
Statute of Repose Passes Senate
April 22, 2011SB 59, by Senator Cam Ward (R) of Alabaster, is the compromise bill that reduces Alabama’s Statute of Repose for architects, engineers and contractors from 13 years to 7 years. The statute of limitations will remain at 2 years. Senator Ward did an excellent job of presenting the bill and explaining the compromise between the trial bar and our construction coalition. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday, April 26th.
Product Liability Reform
April 22, 2011SB 184, by Sen. Ben Brooks (R) of Mobile, is known as the Alabama Small Business Protection Act. The bill would add protection for Alabama’s retailers against product liability suits. The suits are aimed at the manufacturers, but often the trial lawyers sue Alabama retailers, wholesalers and distributors as defendants even though they did not participate in the manufacture or design of the product. This is done in some instances solely to allow the plaintiff to file suit in counties favorable to plaintiffs and keep an out-of-state manufacturer in an Alabama state court and out of federal court. These suits cost Alabama businesses time and money while the true target of the suit is the manufacturer or designer of the product. If, on the other hand, the suit is brought against a retailer or distributor because the manufacturer is unknown and the retailer or distributor is needed in order to provide discovery concerning the manufacturer’s identity, the bill provides a mechanism to accomplish this in a reasonable manner so that suit can then proceed against the appropriate manufacturer.
Legislature Passes Registration Board Sunset Bill
April 22, 2011
HB 44, by Rep. Howard Sanderford (R) of Huntsville, would extend the existence of the Alabama Board of Registration for Architects. Certain state agencies, boards and commissions are reviewed by the Alabama Legislature every two, three or four years to determine if they are operating appropriately and performing as intended by the Legislature. Before gaining final approval, the Legislature amended the bill adding the following language, ”A person may not be registered by the board unless he or she is a citizen of the United States or, if not a citizen of the United States, a person who is legally present in the United States with appropriate documentation from the federal government. The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.
Residential Energy Board Approves Strengthened Codes
April 22, 2011The residential energy subcommittee and the full membership of the Alabama Residential and Energy Codes Board approved a proposal to adopt a new residential energy code based on the 2009 IRC with strengthening amendments that would make it equivalent to the 2009 IECC. The Board had previously approved a new commercial code based on the 2009 IECC. The Board’s recommendations will be published for 35 days in the state administrative journal, followed by a final public comment hearing and final vote by the Board.
We understand these mandatory statewide energy codes would be a first for Alabama. This direction comes from legislation passed last year, requiring the code be at least as stringent as the 2006 IECC, but permitting the Board to pursue a stronger code. The state has previously adopted the Residential Energy Code for Alabama (RECA 2004) – based on the 2000 IECC – as a voluntary code for residential construction. Since December 2008, the 2006 IECC has been encouraged for private commercial construction. The Alabama Building Commission enforces ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2007 for all state building construction.
Linda Snapp, AIA, serves on the Board as our representative.