Miss. lawmakers pass building code requirements for coastal counties

Progress was made this legislative session as Mississippi lawmakers passed requirements for tougher building codes and took steps to help ensure new construction in five coastal counties will better protect residents from catastrophic events, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.

“This is an important first step in the effort to save lives, reduce economic losses and speed up the recovery process for future hurricanes,” William Stander, PCI assistant vice president and regional manager, said. “While we would have preferred the Legislature to enact a statewide building code, we are pleased with this accomplishment.”

House Bill 1406 requires Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River and Stone counties to adopt the International Building Code for new construction. Other counties may voluntarily decide to adopt this building code but it is up to the discretion of the local authorities.

“Although the coastal counties experienced the most significant damage from Hurricane Katrina this year, the entire state is susceptible to natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes and flooding,” Stander said.

“This points to the need for a statewide minimum building code,” he said. “Stronger building codes result in the construction of safe and durable structures, which reduces the number of deaths, injuries and the amount of economic loss from both accidents, such as fires and electrical malfunctions, and natural disasters.”

Earlier this session Gov. Barbour signed legislation (HB 409) which made Mississippi the 22nd state to enact primary seat belt enforcement legislation. This law allows law enforcement to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt. However, the legislative session, which adjourned March 31, was notable for what did not pass.

During the session two bills (HB 1311 and SB 2800) addressed the security freeze issue by allowing consumers to freeze access to their credit report.

PCI worked to ensure that legislation contained a provision that would allow insurers to have access to credit information. Both bills, however, died during the final days of the session.

The Legislature also defeated bills introduced in the House and Senate that would have provided consumers with written notices that explicitly state that flood coverage is excluded from their homeowners policy. PCI supported SB 2014 which was designed to improve communications with policyholders without being overly burdensome. However, it strongly opposed the House version, HB 982, which required consumers sign a verification form that would have added unnecessary costs without providing any additional consumer benefits.

Topics Legislation Mississippi