Elementary & Secondary Education Committee

Filed: 3/11/2009

 

 


 

 


 
09600HB4223ham001 LRB096 09709 NHT 23483 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4223

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4223 on page 1,
3 immediately below line 1, by inserting the following:
 
4     "WHEREAS, The Surgeon General of the United States issued a
5 Health Advisory in 2005 warning Americans about the health risk
6 from exposure to radon in indoor air; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung
8 cancer in the United States, and breathing it over prolonged
9 periods can present a significant health risk to families all
10 over the country; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The nation's chief physician urged Americans to
12 test their homes to find out how much radon they might be
13 breathing; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection

 

 

09600HB4223ham001 - 2 - LRB096 09709 NHT 23483 a

1 Agency, National Academy of Sciences, and the Surgeon General
2 estimate that 21,000 radon-related lung cancer deaths occur
3 annually in the United States, as many as 1,100 of those in
4 this State; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Results of 96,000 home measurements conducted by
6 professional contractors and homeowners between 2003 and 2008
7 submitted to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency show that
8 40% of homes tested in this State had radon levels above the
9 4.0 picocuries per liter (pCi/L) action level; therefore"; and
 
10 on page 1, by replacing lines 6 through 18 with the following:
 
11     "(105 ILCS 5/10-20.46 new)
12     Sec. 10-20.46. Radon testing.
13     (a) It is recommended that every occupied school building
14 of a school district be tested every 5 years for radon pursuant
15 to rules established by the Illinois Emergency Management
16 Agency (IEMA).
17     (b) It is recommended that new schools of a school district
18 be built using radon resistant new construction techniques, as
19 shown in the United States Environmental Protection Agency
20 document, Radon Prevention in the Design and Construction of
21 Schools and Other Large Buildings.
22     (c) Each school district may maintain, make available for
23 review, and notify parents and faculty of test results under

 

 

09600HB4223ham001 - 3 - LRB096 09709 NHT 23483 a

1 this Section. The district shall report radon test results to
2 the State Board of Education, which shall prepare a report
3 every 2 years of the results from all schools that have
4 performed tests, to be submitted to the General Assembly and
5 the Governor.
6     (d) If IEMA exempts an individual from being required to be
7 a licensed radon professional, the individual does not need to
8 be a licensed radon professional in order to perform screening
9 tests under this Section. A school district may elect to have
10 one or more employees from the district attend an
11 IEMA-approved, Internet-based training course on school
12 testing in order to receive an exemption to conduct testing in
13 that school district. These school district employees must
14 perform the measurements in accordance with procedures
15 approved by IEMA. If an exemption from IEMA is not received,
16 the school district must use a licensed radon professional to
17 conduct measurements.
18     (e) If the results of a radon screening test under this
19 Section are found to be 4.0 pCi/L or above, the school district
20 may hire a licensed radon professional to perform measurements
21 before any mitigation decisions are made. If radon levels of
22 4.0 pCi/L or above are found, it is recommended that affected
23 areas be mitigated by a licensed radon mitigation professional
24 with respect to both design and installation. IEMA may provide
25 the school district with a list of licensed radon mitigation
26 professionals.

 

 

09600HB4223ham001 - 4 - LRB096 09709 NHT 23483 a

1     (f) A screening test under this Section may be done with a
2 test kit found in a hardware store, department store, or home
3 improvement store or with a kit ordered through the mail or
4 over the Internet. However, the kit must be provided by a
5 laboratory licensed in accordance with the Radon Industry
6 Licensing Act.
 
7     (105 ILCS 5/34-18.37 new)
8     Sec. 34-18.37. Radon testing.
9     (a) It is recommended that every occupied school building
10 of the school district be tested every 5 years for radon
11 pursuant to rules established by the Illinois Emergency
12 Management Agency (IEMA).
13     (b) It is recommended that new schools of the school
14 district be built using radon resistant new construction
15 techniques, as shown in the United States Environmental
16 Protection Agency document, Radon Prevention in the Design and
17 Construction of Schools and Other Large Buildings.
18     (c) The school district may maintain, make available for
19 review, and notify parents and faculty of test results under
20 this Section. The district shall report radon test results to
21 the State Board of Education, which shall prepare a report
22 every 2 years of the results from all schools that have
23 performed tests, to be submitted to the General Assembly and
24 the Governor.
25     (d) If IEMA exempts an individual from being required to be

 

 

09600HB4223ham001 - 5 - LRB096 09709 NHT 23483 a

1 a licensed radon professional, the individual does not need to
2 be a licensed radon professional in order to perform screening
3 tests under this Section. The school district may elect to have
4 one or more employees from the district attend an
5 IEMA-approved, Internet-based training course on school
6 testing in order to receive an exemption to conduct testing in
7 the school district. These school district employees must
8 perform the measurements in accordance with procedures
9 approved by IEMA. If an exemption from IEMA is not received,
10 the school district must use a licensed radon professional to
11 conduct measurements.
12     (e) If the results of a radon screening test under this
13 Section are found to be 4.0 pCi/L or above, the school district
14 may hire a licensed radon professional to perform measurements
15 before any mitigation decisions are made. If radon levels of
16 4.0 pCi/L or above are found, it is recommended that affected
17 areas be mitigated by a licensed radon mitigation professional
18 with respect to both design and installation. IEMA may provide
19 the school district with a list of licensed radon mitigation
20 professionals.
21     (f) A screening test under this Section may be done with a
22 test kit found in a hardware store, department store, or home
23 improvement store or with a kit ordered through the mail or
24 over the Internet. However, the kit must be provided by a
25 laboratory licensed in accordance with the Radon Industry
26 Licensing Act.".