"An Act relating to the state's mechanical code, to mechanical contractors and mechanical administrators, to mechanical standards and inspections involved in certain housing loans, and to the adoption of the state's mechanical code; and providing for an effective date."

There are five primary safety codes dealing with construction in Alaska, which are under the jurisdiction of two different Departments. The Fire, Building, and Mechanical Codes are, by default, under the jurisdiction of the Fire Marshall at the Department of Public Safety. The Plumbing and Electrical Codes are statutorily governed by the Department of Labor. Each department is responsible for adopting a family of codes to bring uniformity and consistency to the construction industry. However, the current delegation of authority to the respective departments has caused a set of conflicts and discrepancies, which Senate Bill 377 aims to address.

Senate Bill 377 grants the Department of Labor the authority to adopt the mechanical code for state administration purposes. Currently, the Department of Public Safety has authority to;

"adopt regulations for the purpose of protecting life and property from fire and explosion by establishing minimum standards for fire and life safety criteria in commercial, industrial, business, institutional, or other public buildings, and buildings used for residential purposes containing four or more dwelling units."

This broad based authority has been used to adopt the state mechanical code since no other department has the statutory authority to do so. Granting the authority to adopt the mechanical code to the Department of Labor would put the code in the same department as the other "trade codes." This change would make the department more consistent in their administration of continual education services and post construction building inspections.

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