NAHB-Supported Building Codes Bill Introduced in Senate

Codes and Standards
Published
Contact: Heather Voorman
[email protected]
AVP, Government Affairs
(202) 266-8425

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) have introduced NAHB-supported legislation that would help jurisdictions preserve local control over the building code adoption process while also encouraging communities to take positive steps to withstand and recover from extreme events.

The Promoting Resilient Buildings Act would improve the resilience of homes at risk of being impacted by natural disasters by allowing more states and local communities to be eligible for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program.

Companion legislation was introduced in the House last month by Reps. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.)

The Promoting Resilient Buildings Act addresses an issue that has become a serious concern for local governments and home builders across the country.

In 2018, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act’s pre-disaster hazard mitigation program defined “latest published editions” of building codes to include the latest two published editions of relevant codes, specifications and standards. This definition sunset in October 2023, but this legislation would remove the sunset, permanently codifying the current definition of “latest published editions” for the pre-disaster hazard mitigation program.

Without a definition of “latest published editions” for this program, FEMA will only consider whether a jurisdiction has adopted the very latest editions of building codes. This will put jurisdictions in a difficult position, pressuring the adoption of the very latest building codes without a thorough vetting and amendment process, resulting in costly code changes that do not contribute to meaningful safety and resiliency improvements.

Subscribe to NAHBNow

Log in or create account to subscribe to notifications of new posts.

Log in to subscribe

Latest from NAHBNow

Sustainability and Green Building

Apr 30, 2025

NAHB Mourns Passing of Member Kim Shanahan

NAHB mourns the passing of Kim Shanahan, who played an integral role in the Sustainability & Green Building Subcommittee and Healthier Homes and Communities Subcommittee.

Awards | Sustainability and Green Building

Apr 30, 2025

Global Innovation Home of the Year Brings Wellness to Production Home Design

ERTH360, a home design and architecture firm based in Ontario, has spent years focused on bringing wellness concepts to production home design. Its design won the Gold award for GIA Global Innovation Home of Year at NAHB’s The Nationals for 2024.

View all

Latest Economic News

Economics

Apr 30, 2025

U.S. Economy Contracted in First Quarter of 2025

The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter of 2025 for the first time in three years, driven by a sharp surge in pre-tariff imports, softening consumer spending, and a decline in government spending.

Economics

Apr 30, 2025

House Sharing is Not Just for Young Adults

A record-high 6.8 million households shared their housing with unrelated housemates, roommates or boarders in 2023. While college-age and young adults make up the largest subset of house sharers (close to 41%), this type of living arrangement is gaining popularity among older householders fastest, with the 55+ segment accounting for 30% of all house-sharing households in 2023.

Economics

Apr 29, 2025

Jobs Openings Fall as Economy Slows

Consistent with soft sentiment data, the count of job openings for the overall economy and construction fell in March as employers slowed hiring plans amid a broader economic slowdown, per the March Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS).