Senate Bill S1010

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S1010

SPONSOR: BRESLIN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act requiring the state fire prevention and building code council to
implement rules and regulations regarding radon-resistant features in
newly constructed homes

 
PURPOSE:

To require new homebuilders to use radon resistant features when build-
ing new homes.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 directs the state fire prevention and building code council to
develop and implement rules and regulations concerning the use of radon
resistant building features in new home construction.

 
              

JUSTIFICATION:

Radon is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas, which is omitted from
the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water. This gas typi-
cally moves through the ground and seeps into homes through tiny cracks
or holes in the foundation. Any home, new or old can have a radon prob-
lem, and homes across the country have been found to have high levels of
radon. In 2005, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a Health
Advisory warning Americans about the health risk of exposure to radon in
indoor air. Recent studies done by the EPA have found that nearly 1 out
of every 15 homes in the United States has an unsafe level of radon.
Radon has been proven to cause many health related problems, and is now
the second leading cause of lung cancer and is estimated to account for
more than 20,000 deaths per year.

Banks require that a home inspection be done by a licensed home inspec-
tor prior to approving a mortgage for an existing home sale, and part of
that inspection is a radon test. Many people who build new homes have
owned homes before, and may assume that some type of radon testing is
done by the builder, however there are no such requirements for radon
inspections for new home mortgages. Because it takes time for radon to
penetrate into the home, testing for radon in a newly constructed home
would be ineffective. Therefore, the easiest and most cost effective way
to ensure that radon never becomes a problem, is to take preventative
measures in the new home construction process. When these steps are
employed during the building process, it costs as little as a few
hundred dollars; as opposed to having to vent out the house later on,
which can cost thousands. Standards and recommendations for the use of
radon resistant features in building new homes have already been devel-
oped by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2017/2018 - S. 2208 Referred to Housing, Construction and Community
Development

2015/2016 - S.1333 Referred to Housing, Construction and Community
Development

2013/2014 - S. 1149 Referred to Senate Housing Committee

2011/2012 - S.1162/A.897 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing,
Construction and Community Development and the Assembly Committee on
Governmental Operations

2009/2010 - S.401/A.1033 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing,
Construction and Community Development and the Assembly Committee on
Governmental Operations

2007/2008 - S.717/A.9669 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing,
Construction and Community Development and the Assembly Committee on
Governmental Operations

2005/2006 - S.4607 Remained in the Senate Committee on Housing,
Construction and Community Development

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.