HBA-CMT H.B. 196 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 196 By: Reyna, Arthur Licensing & Administrative Procedures 7/18/2001 Enrolled BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Prior to the 77th Legislature, the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Law specified the Standard Mechanical Code and the Uniform Mechanical Code as the codes authorized for contractor licensing. In 1996, a single family of model codes known as the International Mechanical Code was published by the International Code Council, an umbrella organization composed of representatives from the Southern Building Code Congress International, International Conference of Building Officials, and Building Officials and Code Administrators International. House Bill 196 replaces the Standard Mechanical Code with the International Mechanical Code in the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Law. The bill replaces the Standard Mechanical Code with the International Mechanical Code in the list of guidelines that contractors must comply with and the commissioner of licensing and regulation must follow when adopting rules for the practice of air conditioning and refrigeration contracting. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the commissioner of licensing and regulation in SECTION 2 (Article 8861 V.T.C.S.) of this bill. ANALYSIS House Bill 196 amends the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Law to delete the Standard Mechanical Code from the list of mechanical integrity standards that contractors must comply with in the installation of products, systems, and equipment and add the International Mechanical Code to the list. The bill also deletes the Standard Mechanical Code and adds the International Mechanical Code to the guidelines that the commissioner of licensing and regulation must follow when adopting rules for the practice of air conditioning and refrigeration contracting. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.