FGI Announces Support for Pro Codes Act
Florence, MA — FGI today announced its support for the bipartisan Pro Codes Act. This
proposed federal legislation would affirm that standards development organizations retain
copyright protection even when standards are incorporated into law by reference and preserve
free public access to those incorporated standards.
FGI is an independent nonprofit standards development organization that publishes the FGI
Codes for Planning and Design of hospitals, outpatient settings, and residential care and support
settings. These documents establish nationally recognized minimum standards for the planning,
design, and construction of health care facilities and are adopted, referenced, or incorporated into
regulation in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and used by The Joint
Commission. The remaining states permit or encourage their use as an accepted equivalency.
The FGI Codes are developed and continually updated through a rigorous consensus-based
process involving hundreds of multidisciplinary volunteer experts, including architects,
engineers, clinicians, facility managers, regulators, infection prevention specialists, and public
health professionals. The development process requires substantial investment in research,
technical review, stakeholder engagement, public comment, and administrative support. These
activities are funded through the lawful sale and licensing of FGI publications; no federal or state
tax funding supports the development of the FGI Codes.
FGI’s support for the Pro Codes Act reflects growing concern across the standards development
community regarding the unauthorized reproduction and commercialization of copyrighted
standards by third-party platforms. Many independent standards organizations responsible for
developing critical life safety, building safety, fire protection, electrical, accessibility, and health
care standards are confronting similar challenges. Without a sustainable funding model, the
independent system that develops and maintains these essential standards is placed at risk.
“Independent standards development organizations perform a critical public service,” said
Heather Livingston, CEO of FGI. “Organizations such as FGI convene subject matter experts
from across the health care and design community to develop evidence-based standards that
directly support patient safety and the safety of building occupants nationwide. The ability to
sustain that work depends upon maintaining the legal protections that have long enabled
independent standards development.”
Livingston added that the issue extends well beyond any single organization or publication.
“This legislation is important because it supports the long-term viability of the independent
consensus-based system on which governments, regulators, and industries throughout the United
States rely,” she said. “The Pro Codes Act preserves an appropriate balance: incorporated
standards remain publicly accessible, while the organizations responsible for developing and
updating them retain the intellectual property protections necessary to continue their work.”
FGI encourages stakeholders throughout the health care, design, construction, and regulatory
communities to support the Pro Codes Act and efforts to preserve the independent standards
development system that underpins critical public safety protections across the built
environment.
More information on the legislation is available at: https://www.procodesact.com.
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About FGI
Founded in 1998, FGI is a nonprofit corporation founded to provide leadership and continuity to
the FGI Codes/Guidelines revision process. FGI functions as the coordinating entity for the
development of the FGI Codes/Guidelines using an interdisciplinary, consensus-based process
and for the provision of ancillary services that encourage and improve their application and use.
About the FGI Codes/Guidelines
FGI develops the FGI Codes (formerly known as the Guidelines), nationally recognized
standards for the design and construction of hospitals, outpatient facilities, and residential care
settings. Updated every four years, the FGI Codes reflect evolving concepts, capabilities, and
technologies in health and residential care delivery. The FGI Codes are used widely across public
and private sectors; they are adopted by states for regulatory purposes and referenced in laws,
codes, rules, and regulations; applied in private-sector self-regulation and facility planning; and
used to promote safe, effective design practices.
Revenue from the sale of the FGI Codes funds research and the activities of the Health
Guidelines Revision Committee for future updates. The FGI Codes/Guidelines are protected by
copyright and available exclusively at FGIGuidelines.org. Any websites offering the FGI
Codes/Guidelines for sale without directing users to FGIGuidelines.org are not authorized or
endorsed by FGI.