A bill recently passed by the Washington State Senate could unleash hundreds of millions of dollars for school seismic retrofits over several years.
Washington has the second largest population at risk from significant earthquake damage in the U.S., but trails California, Oregon, and British Columbia in disaster preparedness, particularly for schools, according to a report in the Seattle Times. Hundreds of schools in the state are likely to incur major damage and cause severe injury in the event of a significant tremor, the report said.
The bill would formally establish a school seismic safety committee to help the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) assess, plan, and implement retrofits, and to advise on school seismic safety. The state, to date, has assessed the geologic risk of more than 560 schools statewide to help prioritize the most urgent seismic retrofits.
The bill awaits a decision by Gov. Jay Inslee.
Related Stories
| May 31, 2013
Bond package to fund $2.7 billion in new university construction dies in Texas Legislature
A $2.7 billion state bond package that would have financed expansion projects at more than a half-dozen universities in Texas died on the final day of the legislative session.
| May 31, 2013
Tax break proposal for $1.5 billion expansion of Minnesota’s Mall of America advances
The Minnesota Legislature approved tax breaks worth $250 million for a $1.5 billion project that would double the size of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
| May 28, 2013
Fire Chiefs Assn., IBHS call for federal legislation to encourage states to adopt, enforce building codes
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are asking Congress to enact the Safe Building Code Incentive Act (SBCIA), which provides financial incentives for states to adopt and enforce building codes.
| May 27, 2013
Bill would mandate contractors use subs identified in bids on federal projects
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) filed a bill in May that would require prime contractors that bid on federal construction projects over $1 million to list each subcontractor they plan to use for $100,000 or more of work.
| May 27, 2013
Maryland law on codes for wind resistance will take effect in October
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety says that Maryland citizens will be safer due to legislation passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Martin O’Malley.
| May 23, 2013
Are design-build contracts killing small architecture firms?
Are federal design-build contract laws unfair to small firms? AIA thinks so, citing an interesting fact: an architecture firm spends a median of $260,000 to compete for a design-build project.
| Apr 24, 2013
‘W visa’ program could hamper construction industry's growth
The Senate’s bipartisan immigration reform proposal will provide interim legal status to some 11 million undocumented people.
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Apr 17, 2013
Army's FY 2014 $130 billion budget includes $2.3 billion for construction
The U.S. Army submitted a $129.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2014, $2.3 billion of which is allocated for military construction, army family housing, and base realignment and closure.
| Mar 27, 2013
Sustainable wood controversy leads to LEED ‘backlash bill’ in Florida House
A Florida House bill that says state agencies should decide on a project-by-project basis which green certification standards are used on state construction passed a subcommittee vote 12-1.
