IAR members (and others) concerned over the impact a proposed Life Safety Code update can file comments with a state office that looks at the impact of policy decisions on small business.

The Illinois Small Business Development Center’s Office of Regulatory Flexibility reviews comments on proposed rule changes and prepares reports for the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR).

The Office of the State Fire Marshal has submitted rule changes that would call for fire sprinkler systems to be placed in all new residential construction. The code would also call for retrofitting older apartment and condominium buildings with sprinkler systems. The code changes have to be approved by JCAR, a panel of 12 legislators, rather than go through the full legislative process.

The Small Business Development Center “works with business organizations and groups to determine ways to make rules more flexible, cost effective and less restrictive,” according to the office’s website. The center is a part of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Comments should address:

• The complexity of a rule or guideline.
• Conflicts with other existing rules.
• The degree to which technology or other factors come into play when considering the rule’s impact.

Comments should be addressed to:

Katy Khayyat
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
[email protected].