HOUSE BILL No. 5830

 

 

April 18, 2018, Introduced by Rep. Kosowski and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

 

     A bill to amend 1937 PA 306, entitled

 

"An act to promote the safety, welfare, and educational interests

of the people of the state of Michigan by regulating the

construction, reconstruction, and remodeling of certain public or

private school buildings or additions to such buildings, by

regulating the construction, reconstruction, and remodeling of

buildings leased or acquired for school purposes, and to define the

class of buildings affected by this act; to prescribe the powers

and duties of certain state agencies and officials; to prescribe

penalties for the violation of this act; and to repeal acts and

parts of acts,"

 

by amending sections 1 and 5a (MCL 388.851 and 388.855a), section 1

 

as amended by 2004 PA 510 and section 5a as amended by 2006 PA 199.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), a school

 

building, public or private, or any additions to a school building,

 

shall not be erected, remodeled, or reconstructed in this state

 

unless all of the following requirements are met:

 

     (a) All plans and specifications for buildings shall be

 


prepared by an architect or professional engineer who is licensed

 

in this state. An architect or professional engineer licensed in

 

this state or another person qualified to supervise construction

 

shall supervise the construction of a school building. For energy

 

conservation improvements and services under section 1274a of the

 

revised school code, 1976 PA 451, MCL 380.1274a, the licensed

 

architect or professional engineer may be directly affiliated with

 

the qualified provider, as defined under that section, that is

 

providing the applicable improvements and services. However, the

 

specifications for the project shall be generic in character and,

 

to the extent possible, shall not include proprietary equipment or

 

technology developed by the qualified provider or in which the

 

qualified provider has an interest.

 

     (b) All walls, floors, partitions, and roofs shall be

 

constructed of fire-resisting materials such as stone, brick, tile,

 

concrete, gypsum, steel, or similar fire-resisting material. All

 

steel members shall be protected by at least 3/4 of an inch of

 

fire-resisting material.

 

     (c) Wood lath or wood furring shall not be used in the

 

construction. This requirement does not prohibit the use of

 

finished wood flooring, wood door and window frames, wood sash, or

 

wood furring and grounds, for the purpose of installing wood trim,

 

panelling, acoustical units, or similar facing materials on masonry

 

walls, structural steel, or concrete ceiling members.

 

     (d) Every room enclosing a heating unit shall be enclosed by

 

walls of fire-resisting materials and shall be equipped with

 

automatically closing fire doors. A heating unit shall not be


located directly beneath any portion of a school building or

 

addition that is constructed or reconstructed after January 1,

 

2003. This requirement does not require the removal of an existing

 

heating plant from beneath an existing building when an addition to

 

the building is constructed unless the department requires that

 

removal in the interests of the public safety. In any school where

 

natural gas or any other kind of gas is used for heating purposes,

 

the gas shall be chemically treated before being used in such a

 

manner as to give a very distinguishable odor if a leak develops in

 

the heating system.

 

     (e) In a gymnasium, fire-proofings may be omitted from the

 

trusses and purlins if they are more than 16 feet off the main

 

floor level.

 

     (f) The architect or engineer shall provide adequate exits

 

from all parts of a school building. In all cases, there shall be

 

at least 2 stairways and the distance from the door of any class or

 

assembly room to a stairway or exit shall not exceed 100 feet.

 

     (g) A requirement in subdivisions (b) to (f) may be waived in

 

writing by the department.

 

     (h) Compliance with section 1b.

 

     (2) The director of the department shall promulgate rules that

 

establish standards and requirements for the relocation and reuse

 

of used modular classrooms. The rules shall require an inspection

 

of a relocated used modular classroom at its original location, at

 

its new location, or at any location where repairs are made to the

 

used modular classroom.

 

     (3) Beginning January 1, 2019, a new school building, public


or private, shall not be erected or constructed unless that school

 

building has the following safety measures as determined by the

 

school safety commission established under section 5 of the

 

comprehensive school safety plan act:

 

     (a) Schematic of school building layouts.

 

     (b) Surveillance technology.

 

     (c) Remote door locks.

 

     (d) Weapon identification devices including metal detectors.

 

     (e) Reinforced entryways.

 

     (4) (3) As used in this section, "department" means the

 

department of labor and economic growth.talent and economic

 

development.

 

     Sec. 5a. (1) Except as provided in this section and section

 

1(3), this act does not apply to 1-story school buildings, to 1-

 

story additions to school buildings, or to the construction,

 

reconstruction, or remodeling of a school building if the total

 

cost of construction, reconstruction, or remodeling is less than

 

$15,000.00.

 

     (2) Section 1(a) applies to the construction of all school

 

buildings and additions to school buildings regardless of the

 

number of stories of the buildings or additions if the total cost

 

of construction exceeds $15,000.00.

 

     (3) Section 1(d) applies to the construction of all school

 

buildings and additions to school buildings of 1 or more stories

 

regardless of the cost of construction.

 

     (4) This act applies to the reconstruction of a school

 

building destroyed or partially destroyed by fire, windstorm, or


other catastrophe if more than 50% of the entire building is

 

destroyed. The bureau of fire services created in section 1b of the

 

fire prevention code, 1941 PA 207, MCL 29.1b, acting jointly with

 

the superintendent of public instruction, may require that the

 

damaged portion or the remaining portion of the building, or both,

 

be remodeled or reconstructed in accordance with this act.

 

     (5) This act applies to the remodeling of existing school

 

buildings and other buildings to be used for school purposes.

 

     (6) An existing building or part of an existing building,

 

regardless of the number of stories or the cost to the school

 

district of the building, that has not been used as a school

 

building shall not be used as a school building unless it is

 

approved by the superintendent of public instruction and the bureau

 

of fire services.

 

     (7) If the construction, reconstruction, or remodeling of a

 

school building costs less than $15,000.00, it is not necessary to

 

employ a registered architect or engineer, but the plans for the

 

building shall be submitted to the bureau of fire services and to

 

the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's

 

authorized agent for criticism, suggestions, and approval.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.___ or House Bill No. 5828 (request no.

 

05839'18) of the 99th Legislature is enacted into law.