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Government Affairs
The U.S. Department of Treasury and the Department of Education announced $11 billion in allocation authority to issue qualified school construction bonds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Qualified school construction bonds can be used to finance the construction, rehabilitation or repair of a public school facility or for the acquisition of land where a school will be built. Full Story The Window and Door Manufacturers Association is applauding the passage of legislation by the U.S. Senate that would replace the .30/.30 standard to qualify for a $1,500 tax credit with the 2010 Energy Star standards for windows, doors and skylights. The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), had wide bipartisan Senate support as well as broad support from the manufacturing, retail, small business, and window, door and skylight industry, WDMA reports. Full Story Dealers of windows and doors urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to delay enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Renovation, Repair and Painting Rules slated to take effect April 22, 2010, and to retain an "opt-out" provision that offers an exemption for homes where no children under six years of age are in residence. Full Story A bill introduced by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, would provide a legislative fix that has the support of a unique coalition that was organized by the Security Industry Association (SIA). The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 requires electronic devices to meet certain efficiency standards while in "no-load" mode. The requirements apply to security and life safety devices – such as video surveillance and access control systems – even though they are always in "active" mode. To correct this, SIA pulled together a coalition that includes both industry and environmental groups to draft legislative language and advocate for a fix. Sen. Bingaman included the measure in Section 4 of the "National Energy Efficiency Enhancement Act of 2010" (S. 3059), which would make technical corrections to EISA. Full Story Some 35 states were set to boost unemployment taxes on businesses this year, with increases ranging from 2.5% to 600%. The median projected increase was 27.5%, according to NASWA, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, which polled states late last year, reported MSNBC. Full Story Proposed legislation, expected to hit the floor of the Michigan state Senate by spring break, would offer tax breaks for new construction and building rehabilitations that achieve certification for LEED. The bills would give a tax abatement of up to 50% on LEED-certified construction and allow upfront costs for certain "green" items such as wind turbines, geothermal energy systems and underground parking to be paid with future tax revenue, reported Mlive.com. Full Story Rep. Dina Titus introduced a bill that would give the federal government more flexibility in its oversight of state workplace safety programs. Federal OSHA has required the state to make changes to its program. But under current law, federal officials have only one option if the state fails to improve: terminate the state workplace-safety plan and take over. Titus called such a measure a "drastic step that would ... leave state and local government employees unprotected" and put the Labor Department on the hook for federal funding. Titus' bill, dubbed the Ensuring Worker Safety Act, would create "a formal mechanism" to allow federal OSHA to step in, identify problems with state programs and exercise oversight without stripping states of day-to-day control, reported The Las Vegas Sun. Full Story As the health care debate continues to drag on, construction industry groups are still concerned about a provision in the Senate-passed bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) that would require construction firms with six or more employees to provide health insurance to their employees, or pay a penalty. For other industries, the threshold is much higher at 50 or more employees, according to a post on the Engineering News Record Blog. Full Story Industry Access Masonite Inc. has acquired substantially all of the assets of Ledco Inc., located in Shelbyville, KY. A manufacturer of interior flush doors, specializing in molded, veneer, mirror, pine, and bifold doors, Ledco serves wholesale customers East of the Rockies. Previously known as Lake Erie Door Co., Ledco was founded in 1964 in Akron, OH, by the Solomon family and has been manufacturing and selling door products since its inception, reported Window & Door. Full Story A recent patent application has been unveiled revealing Apple's plan to replace traditional door locks with an electronic device. The conceptual idea is being coined as the iKey and thoughts are that one day perhaps, a single "electronic key" would be required to unlock all doors for which you have access, be it a front door, office door, car door, etc. Essentially, doors could be retrofitted with an electronic device or alternatively, as part of the product design phase, this electronic device could be installed. Access control would then be based upon a personal identification number or PIN code with the transmitted digital information being encrypted to avoid the risk of signal theft. The speculation is the next generation iPhone will contain this capability, according to Coolest Gadget Reviews. Full Story Click here for more Industry Access news including recent new hires, merger & acquisition activity and who's offering new products. * DHI Members may submit news releases to be considered for inclusion in DHI's IndustryWatch. Send to: jmadden@dhi.org Business Update The construction materials market is stabilizing. Production increased 0.8% in the last three months and prices rose 2.1%, although much of the price increase is imported inflation. It is premature to conclude that sustained expansion has begun. Both orders and shipment slipped slightly in the last three months, reported Reed Construction Data. Full Story The International Code Council released Public Version 1.0 of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) to regulate construction of new and existing commercial buildings. Full Story (PDF file) Click here to download Public Version 1.0 of the IGCC. Support for green construction and LEED certification dipped slightly in 2009 but remains strong across the past three years despite the recession, according to the latest green building survey by Allen Matkins, Constructive Technologies Group and the Green Building Insider. The "4th Annual Green Building Survey" of more than 1,600 design and construction professionals in the U.S. showed that 92.3% of respondents in 2009 said they endorse green building, compared with 93.5% in 2008 and 96% in 2007. Full Story Buildings.com offers several suggestions and considerations to speed up the permitting process for green building projects. Full Story The February Producer Price Index for Wood Doors (flush & panel, interior & exterior) was down 0.3% from 2009 and the Other Wood Doors (Incl. garage, screen, storm, etc.) PPI was down 1.8% compared to a year earlier. Compared to January, the unadjusted January PPI was up 0.5% for Wood Doors but down 0.3% for Other Doors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The PPI for Metal Doors, Sash & Trim was up 1.2% from January and down 1.3% from 2009. The PPI for Builders Hardware was down 1.4% from 2009 but up 0.5% from a month earlier. Click here to view the full February Producer Price Index report. (PDF file - Wood Door information is on page 16, Builders Hardware and Metal Door data are on page 22) Construction & Design The FMI Nonresidential Construction Index report for the first quarter is 48.4, a slightly positive move from the fourth quarter 2009 reading of 47.7. The improvement may be attributed to the panelists' trust in a continuing upswing in the economy. While health care construction is the only construction market showing relative strength this year, most panelists predict improvements for next year, with the exception of the lodging and office markets. Full Story A $1-billion plan in the Detroit school system seeks to reduce costs by eliminating unused space, and supports city plans for development in some neighborhoods while moving schools out of underpopulated areas, reported The Detroit Free Press. Full Story The Georgia Institute of Technology is currently updating its Facilities Design Standards to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standards as set by the U.S. Green Building Council, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story Security & Safety CPTED 101: The Fundamentals for Schools a new NCEF publication on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) discusses the concepts of natural surveillance, natural access control and territoriality as a means to improve school security. Each concept is defined and presented along with basic principles of how to achieve it within an uncomplicated framework of design, furnishing and staffing. Click here to download the publication. Maryland is keeping its codes current with the implementation of the 2009 editions of NFPA 101, Life Safety Code and NFPA 1, Fire Code, and the 2008 edition of NFPA 70, National Electrical Code. The state has also brought several other NFPA codes and standards up to date with the most recent editions available. All adoptions became effective as of January 1, 2010. Full Story The Detroit Public Schools will spend about $41.7 million on improvements to safety and security over the next year, funded mostly by the $500.5-million construction bond voters approved in November, reported The Detroit Free Press. Full Story The University of Iowa is converting all its exterior doors on its more than 100 campus buildings from old-fashioned locks to electronic card access. The switch has several security and efficiency benefits, but tight finances threaten the project timeline, reported The Press Citizen. Full Story Eastern Illinois University is considering an upgrade from traditional keys to e-locks - smart cards with memory chips - that Rex Hilligoss, the campus architect of Facilities Planning and Management, said would improve safety and security across campus. Hilligoss said the focus for the initial phase of the installation would be on classrooms, laboratories and other important facilities, but on-campus housing may eventually be upgraded as well, reported DenNews.com. Full Story The Law of Unintended Consequences Our good friends at the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) have brought a matter to our attention that will affect you if you deal with "wood" products. The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) was created by the last Farm Bill (Title IX of the Food, Conservation, and Energy of 2008 Act) and provides significant government subsidies for all manner of material that creates clean fuels. Wood, for example, is one of these materials, and is often referred to as "woody biomass." This includes wood fibers, bark, etc. On May 5, 2009, President Obama issued a Presidential directive "to aggressively accelerate the investment in and production of biofuels. The directive included a directive that Secretary Vilsack take steps to the extent permitted by law to expedite and increase production of and investment in biofuel development efforts which includes issuance of guidance and support for collection, harvest, storage and transportation (CHST) assistance of eligible materials for use in biomass conversion facilities." The BCAP program is currently frozen while the Department of Agriculture works to issue a final rule (http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_Federal_Notices/bcap_prm_2_8_2010.pdf comment deadline April 9) that would undo some of the "unintended consequences" regarding interpretation of eligible products for BCAP subsidies. Without some fixes, if the program gets off the ground, the cost of bark and other wood materials has the potential of jumping dramatically. The program has the unintended consequence of creating an inflated market for these types of materials that are otherwise used in manufacturing particleboard, fiberboard, pressboard, etc. DHI's Jerry Heppes sits on the board of the Small Business Legislative Council. If you'd like more information on these or other issues affecting small businesses, feel free to contact him at jheppes@dhi.org. This material is protected under copyright law and contains confidential information. It is for the sole personal, informational use of DHI members. It cannot be distributed, reprinted, referenced as a source for attribution, or otherwise made public. Foundation News Foundation Instructs 80 Healthcare Engineers Quotes from the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration included: Thank you to our instructors and sponsors who make these classes possible: Please visit the Foundation's recently redesigned website at www.doorsecuritysafety.org DHI News Only 2 DHI National Schools scheduled in 2010! DHI National School Take advantage of DHI's next National School in Lansdowne, VA (30 minutes outside Washington, DC). This upcoming school offers 18 different classes – including the Fire and Egress Door Assembly Inspection class (DAI 600)! For a complete list of course offerings go to www.dhi.org. Select "DHI National School - Register Now for Spring Session" under 'News Items' on the opening page. REGISTER NOW...Early Bird Pricing Ends March 22nd! ***Please be sure to go to www.dhi.org to register OR check out the 2010 issues of Doors & Hardware for a summary *** Government Relations—On Capitol Hill and Online A significant part of DHI's strategic initiative is to build a powerful Government Relations (GR) program. This effort is already underway through a far-reaching, influential grassroots campaign as well as by developing and participating in effective coalitions. An effective GR program can advance the interests of our industry and each of our businesses on a daily basis. DHI's goal is to be a recognized authority on life safety by those on Capitol Hill in order to influence legislation advancing our industry. DHI is also putting out a call to anyone within our membership who may be interested in supporting this effort and helping us to further develop a strong advocacy effort on behalf of the industry. To join us and offer your support, click here. Collectively, our industry's efforts have the potential to bring about countless positive changes that will benefit everyone working within the openings industry. We encourage you to get involved today! Check out the Latest Issue of The Plan Room Newsletter This issue has something for everyone! Read updates about what activities and events are going on within your association: Click here to read The Plan Room
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