The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) Reauthorization Act (Public Law 101-614) requires that the President adopt “standards for assessing and enhancing the seismic safety of existing buildings constructed for or leased by the Federal Government” by 1 Dec. 1994. The act directs the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction (ICSSC) to develop these standards. This paper describes the process used to develop the required standard and presents a summary of the proposed draft standard currently being balloted by the ICSSC.