Whereas, the Plumbers' Examining Board is scheduling a rule- making process to adopt a plumbing code by reference; and

Whereas, the proposed plumbing code to be adopted is disadvantageous to both the consumers of plumbing services and the municipal plumbing regulators who oversee plumbing installations; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §3403-B, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 727, Pt. C, §9, is amended to read:

1. Plumbing and plumbing code. The board shall adopt minimum rules relating to plumbing, including a plumbing code. All rules, including installation and inspection rules, must be consistent with this chapter and Title 30-A, chapter 185, subchapter III, except that the authority of municipalities to adopt more restrictive ordinances under Title 30-A, section 3001 is not preempted. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill changes the Plumbers' Examining Board's authority to adopt a state plumbing code by designating these rules as major substantive instead of routine technical rules.