The Legislature’s Joint Administrative Rules Review Committee (JARRC) voted 5-0 to seek suspension of newly-adopted energy efficiency mandates that could add as much as $24,000 to the price of a new home.

The unanimous vote came after the Washington State Building Code Council failed to sufficiently comply with JARCC’s Oct. 14 request to provide an amended small business economic impact statement that would estimate the number of jobs created or lost as a result of the mandates.

Committee members noted the council, which adopted the new restrictions Nov. 20, also failed to provide a detailed and rigorous cost analysis of the cumulative impact of the code changes.

Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish, who is a member of JARRC, said the new codes, which require a 30 percent reduction in energy consumption for buildings by July 2010, couldn’t have come at a worse time.

“We have the highest unemployment rates in years, and these rules could affect more than 15,000 employers. People from throughout the construction industry are very concerned that they will not be able to meet this accelerated timeline, and that the added costs could put a further damper on home and building construction,” said Kristiansen, who is a former small-business owner in the construction industry.

Although JARRC does not have the authority by itself to suspend the new codes, Kristiansen said the unanimous vote among the bipartisan group of legislators who serve on the committee sends a strong message that should not be ignored by the building code council or the governor.