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An Act To Strengthen the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 25 MRSA §2372, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 633, §9, is further amended to read:
 
2. Staff.   The commissioner mayshall appoint orand may remove for cause staff of the division, including:
 
A. A technical codes coordinator certified in building standards pursuant to Title 30-A, section 4451, subsection 2-A, paragraph E, who serves as the division director and principal administrative and supervisory employee of the board. The technical codes coordinator shall attend meetings of the board, keep records of the proceedings of the board and direct and supervise the personnel employed to carry out the duties of the board, including but not limited to providing technical support and public outreach for the adoption of the code, amendments, conflict resolutions and interpretations. Technical support and public outreach must include, but may not be limited to:
 
(1) Providing nonbinding interpretation of the code for professionals and the general public; and
 
(2) Establishing and maintaining a publicly accessible website to publish general technical assistance, code updates and interpretations and post-training course schedules; and
 
B. An office specialist to provide administrative support to the division and the board.; and
 
C.  A trainer to coordinate and provide training to municipal building officials, local code enforcement officers and 3rd-party inspectors.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2374, as repealed and replaced by PL 2013, c. 424, Pt. A, §12, is amended to read:
§ 2374.Uniform Building Codes and Standards Fund
The Uniform Building Codes and Standards Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established within the Department of Public Safety to fund the activities of the division under this chapter and the activities of the board under Title 10, chapter 1103 and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Community Development under Title 30-A, section 4451, subsection 3-A. Revenue for this fund is provided by the surcharge established by section 2450-A. The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Community Development shall together determine an amount to be transferred annually from the fund for training and certification under Title 30-A, section 4451, subsection 3-A to the Maine Code Enforcement Training and Certification Fund established in Title 30-A, section 4451, subsection 3-B. The Department of Public Safety shall also deposit any permit fees collected under Title 30-A, section 4101-A into the fund. Any balance of the fund may not lapse, but must be carried forward as a continuing account to be expended for the same purpose in the following fiscal year.
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §4101-A  is enacted to read:
§ 4101-A. Permit fee
A surcharge of $3 is imposed on each permit issued by a municipality under this subchapter. The municipality shall collect the fee when issuing the permit and shall, on a schedule established by the Department of Public Safety, remit all fees collected to the Department of Public Safety, which shall deposit the fees into the Uniform Building Codes and Standards Fund established in Title 25, section 2374.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires that the Commissioner of Public Safety appoint a technical codes coordinator, an office specialist and a building codes trainer. It also requires that municipalities impose a $3 surcharge on building permits and remit those funds to the Department of Public Safety to fund the Uniform Building Codes and Standards Fund.