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 under the jurisdiction of the Fire Marshall at the Department of Public Safety. The Plumbing and Electrical Codes are 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.

The mission of the Safety Code Task Force is to suggest options for consolidation of our code administration function. The Task Force will be charged with presenting recommendations to the legislature by the first day of the Second Regular Session of the Twenty-Third Alaska State Legislature.

The Safety Code Task force will consist of 9 members representing parties affected by the adoption of Safety Codes in the state. The make up of the task force is as follows:

• Appointee of the Senate President, Co-Chair
• Appointee of the Speaker of the House, Co-Chair
• Appointee of the Governor

The following members are to be appointed jointly by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House:

• Representative of the construction design community
• Representative of the construction engineering community
• Representative for general contractors
• Representative for mechanical contractors
• Representative for electrical contractors
• Representative for plumbing contractors

In addition an advisory panel will be appointed by the Governor representing the Division of Occupational Licensing, the Division of Fire Prevention, and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The purpose of this group is to advise the Task Force on the effect of any changes in code adoption to their respective agencies.

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