HBA-CMT H.B. 196 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 196
By: Reyna, Arthur
Licensing & Administrative Procedures
2/14/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License Law
specifies 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 this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

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 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.