This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Housing and Economic Development pursuant to Resolve 2025, chapter 64 to implement the recommendations of the working group to address regulatory barriers to housing construction. The bill directs:
1. The Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal to update state standards to comply with the 2025 edition of the National Fire Protection Association 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code;
2. The Department of Public Safety, Office of the State Fire Marshal to convene a working group to study the housing and life safety impacts of residential fire sprinklers and explore ways to lower associated costs and to submit a report on the stakeholder group's findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters;
3. The Director of the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to report by January 15, 2027 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over housing matters on the status of the adoption of rules for the elevator and tramway safety program. The bill also excludes from the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code the edition of International Building Code requirements that elevators must have a 2-way communication system and smoke partitions. The committee has not taken a position on the substance of this bill. By reporting this bill out, the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or
43 disagrees with any aspect of this bill. The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole
44 purpose of having a bill printed that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate
45 public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking
46 this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposals
47 contained in the bill.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 2224, SP 907: 10.9722