[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 27661-27662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09527]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 27661]]


                Proclamation 10561 of April 28, 2023

                
National Building Safety Month, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Modern building codes help to ensure that our homes, 
                schools, workplaces, and gathering spots are safely 
                constructed and secure, keeping the power on, our 
                country strong, and our lives moving forward. During 
                National Building Safety Month, we recommit to helping 
                every community in America make all of its structures 
                safer, more sustainable, and more resilient for the 
                future.

                From planning and design to construction and 
                renovation, many buildings are safer today than they 
                were decades ago. But nearly two-thirds of Americans 
                live in communities that have not yet adopted the 
                latest building codes, which are designed to avoid 
                damages and keep emerging threats like climate change 
                from further devastating communities with increasingly 
                powerful fires, floods, and storms. We need to do more 
                to help everyone prepare for and prevent disasters; to 
                promote building safety; and to support our too-often 
                overlooked engineers, construction workers, and code 
                enforcement inspectors, who do so much every day to 
                keep Americans safe.

                My Administration has taken major steps in that 
                direction. Last year, we launched a new National 
                Initiative to Advance Building Codes, designed to help 
                State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments adopt 
                the latest building standards. With our once-in-a-
                generation infrastructure law, we are rebuilding the 
                Nation's roads, bridges, ports, water systems, and 
                more; we are investing over $50 billion to weatherize 
                American homes and to help protect communities against 
                droughts, heat, and floods; and we are replacing toxic 
                lead pipes in 10 million homes and 400,000 schools or 
                child care centers so every American can turn on the 
                faucet and drink clean water. We are also investing in 
                training workers to meet and enforce new standards.

                The Inflation Reduction Act, meanwhile, is America's 
                biggest-ever investment in fighting climate change, 
                providing $1 billion to help States and localities 
                adopt building energy codes that reduce greenhouse gas 
                emissions. It invests another nearly $1 billion to 
                improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality in 
                federally-supported housing and make these properties 
                more resilient to climate impacts. At the same time, 
                the Federal Emergency Management Agency has helped 
                rebuild communities devastated by floods, fires, 
                tornadoes, and hurricanes while incentivizing the use 
                of low-carbon materials when rebuilding. Across the 
                board, we have committed to sending 40 percent of the 
                benefits of certain Federal investments--including 
                investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, 
                affordable housing, and pollution reduction--to 
                disadvantaged communities, which too often have been 
                left out and left behind.

                Regularly-updated building codes and tough enforcement 
                are key to safety--but we can each do our part to build 
                a stronger, more resilient America. To keep your homes 
                safe, we urge all Americans to change the batteries in 
                your smoke alarms; to regularly check that your 
                appliances, vents, plumbing, and electrical systems are 
                working; and to keep an eye out for mold and pests that 
                can make loved ones sick. If you live in wildfire 
                country, find time to clear the leaves and debris from 
                around your home. While

[[Page 27662]]

                there are few things more proudly American than do-it-
                yourself renovations, make sure your work is in line 
                with local requirements designed to save lives or hire 
                qualified contractors to do it for you. Finally, we 
                urge everyone to support their local code enforcement 
                inspectors and to give them the respect and thanks they 
                deserve for keeping us safe and making all our 
                communities more resilient.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2023 as 
                National Building Safety Month. I encourage citizens, 
                government agencies, businesses, nonprofits, and other 
                interested groups to join in activities that raise 
                awareness about building safety. I also call on all 
                Americans to learn more about how they can contribute 
                to building safety at home, at work, and in their 
                communities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-09527
Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P