10:00 a.m. 817 Whiting Avenue
Stevens Point, WI
May 15, 2000 Tommy G. Thompson
Monday Commerce Center
10:00 a.m. Conference Room 3B
201 W. Washington Ave.
Madison, WI
May 16, 2000 Eau Claire State Office Bldg.
Tuesday Room 105
11:00 a.m. 718 W. Clairemont Ave.
Eau Claire, WI
May 17, 2000 Waukesha State Office Bldg.
Wednesday Room 120
10:00 a.m. 141 N.W. Barstow St.
Waukesha, WI
Interested persons are invited to appear at the hearings and present comments on the proposed rules. Persons making oral presentations are requested to submit their comments in writing. Persons submitting comments will not receive individual responses. The hearing record on this proposed rulemaking will remain open until Friday, June 2, 2000 to permit submittal of written comments from persons who are unable to attend a hearing or who wish to supplement testimony offered at a hearing.
These hearings are held in accessible facilities. If you have special needs or circumstances that may make communication or accessibility difficult at the hearing, please call (608) 266-8741 or TTY at (608) 264-8777 at least 10 days prior to the hearing date. Accommodations such as interpreters, English translators, or materials in audio tape format will, to the fullest extent possible, be made available upon request by a person with a disability.
Analysis of Proposed Rules
Statutory Authority: ss. 101.02 (1), 101.63 (1), 101.64 (3), 101.72 and 101.74
Statutes Interpreted: ss. 101.02 (1), 101.63 (1), 101.64 (3), 101.72 and 101.74
Under the statute sections listed above, the Department of Commerce has the responsibility to adopt rules that establish standards for the construction of 1- and 2-family dwellings. Sections 101.63 (5) and 101.73 (8) require the department to biennially review these rules. This proposed order is the result of the latest review. The vast majority of these proposed rule changes are intended to clarify current policies and requirements. The code sections that are substantially changed under this order are listed below:
S. Comm 20.10 (1) (b) 4. - Adds a limit of 5 business days for the final inspection to be completed prior to occupancy of a dwelling;
S. Comm 21.03 (6) (d) - Allows additional permanent fixtures to be installed under an egress window;
S. Comm 21.04 (3) - Adds rules for curved or irregular landings;
S. Comm 21.09 (1) - Adds the requirement for a hard-wired smoke detector with battery backup to be placed inside each bedroom in new construction;
S. Comm 21.11 (1) (c) - Allows foam plastic to be used in the box sill area of the basement without the need to be covered with a thermal barrier;
S. Comm 21.18 is completely recreated to use the latest national standards for masonry block foundation walls.
S. Comm 22.18 - Adds requirements for duct and plenum sealing; and
S. Comm 23.06 is completely recreated to use national standards for the provision of combustion air for fuel-fired appliances.
A copy of the proposed rules may be obtained without cost from Audrey Fries, Department of Commerce, Program Development Bureau, P.O. Box 2689, Madison, Wisconsin 53701, telephone (608) 266-9375 or (608) 264-8777 (TTY). Copies will also be available at the public hearings.
Environmental Assessment
Notice is hereby given that the Department has prepared a preliminary Environmental Assessment (EA) on the proposed rules. The preliminary recommendation is a finding of no significant impact. Copies of the preliminary EA are available from the Department on request and will be available at the public hearings. Requests for the EA and comments on the EA should be directed to:
Robert Langstroth
Division of Safety & Buildings
Department of Commerce
P.O. Box 2599
Madison, WI 53701
Telephone (608) 264-8801
or TTY (608) 264-8777
Written comments will be accepted until Friday, June 2, 2000.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
1. Types of small businesses that will be affected by the rules.
All one- and two-family dwellings constructed in the state are required to comply with these rules. Contractors, tradespeople, material suppliers, and other small businesses have been affected by these rules since their inception. The current package of changes should have very little additional impact.
2. Reporting, bookkeeping and other procedures required for compliance with the rules.
There are no additional reporting or bookkeeping procedures required as a result of these rules.
3. Types of professional skills necessary for compliance with the rules.
There are no additional skills necessary to comply with these rules.
Fiscal Estimate
There is no fiscal effect.
Notice of Hearing
Ethics Board
The State of Wisconsin Ethics Board announces that it will hold a public hearing on a proposed rule related to the identification of a topic of a lobbying communication under s. 19.67, Stats. The hearing will be held at the time and place shown below. The public is invited to attend the hearing and make comments on the proposed rule. You do not need to attend the public hearing to officially comment on the proposed rule. You can submit written comments to the Board. Following the public hearing, the hearing record will remain open through May 12, 2000 for written comments. Send comments to:
Jonathan Becker
Wisconsin Ethics Board
44 East Mifflin St., Suite 600
Madison, WI 53703
An interpreter for the hearing impaired will be available on request for this hearing. Please make a request by May 1, 2000, either by writing to the above address or by calling (608) 266-8123.
Hearing Information
One hearing is scheduled; it is handicap accessible:
Thursday Wisconsin Ethics Board
May 11, 2000 44 East Mifflin St., Suite 600
Commencing at 10:00 a.m. Madison, WI
Fiscal Estimate
The Ethics Board anticipates no fiscal effect.
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
Pursuant to s. 227.114, Stats., the rule is not expected to negatively impact on small businesses.
Analysis Prepared by the Ethics Board
Statutory authority: s. 13.685(4)
Statutes interpreted: ss. 13.67 and 13.68(1)(bn)
The Ethics Board administers Wisconsin's Lobbying Law, Ch. 13, subch. III , Stats. Under that law, s.13.67, Stats., a lobbying principal must identify to the Ethics Board, beginning July 1, 2000, each topic of a lobbying communication that is not a legislative proposal or proposed administrative rule that has been numbered or a budget bill subject. Section 13.67 requires that a principal describe each topic with reasonable specificity, sufficient to identify the subject matter of the lobbying communication and whether the communication is an attempt to influence legislative or administrative action, or both. Section 13.685(4), Stats., requires that the Ethics Board, by rule, define what constitutes a topic. The proposed rule describes the type of information that a lobbying principal must provide to satisfy the statutory identification requirement, pursuant to ss. 13.67 and 13.68(1)(bn), Stats.
Text of Proposed Rule
Chapter Eth 4 is created to read:
Chapter Eth 4
IDENTIFICATION OF A TOPIC OF
A LOBBYING COMMUNICATION
