§2152e Program to Improve Building Construction and Practices in Latin American Countries

Summary

The President, working through the USAID Administrator, can run a program to improve building codes and construction in Ecuador, El Salvador, and other Latin American countries under terms the President sets. The program gives grants or contracts to U.S. groups to train public and private professionals, translate and share construction manuals and model building codes (covering zoning, exits, fire and life safety, plumbing, sewage, sanitation, electrical and mechanical work, structural engineering, and earthquake design), and provide other help like making seismic micro‑zonation maps or drafting laws to make buildings stronger against earthquakes and other disasters. Grants and contracts must go to U.S. organizations with relevant expertise, including the American Society of Testing Materials, Underwriters Laboratories, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the International Code Council, and the National Fire Protection Association.