House Bills 2439 and 4223 passed by Senate

Both of the above referenced bills unanimously passed the Senate on May 19, 2009.

House Bill 2439 amends the Illinois Radon Awareness Act. Changes a provision on the Disclosure of Information on Radon Hazards form. Requires sellers of certain property to disclose, among other things, either (i) that they have no knowledge of elevated radon concentrations or (ii) that prior elevated radon concentrations have been mitigated or remediated (now, only (i) must be disclosed). Provides that the Act's provisions do not apply to the transfer of any residential dwelling unit located on the third story or higher above ground level of any structure or building.

House Bill 4223 provides that it is recommended that every occupied school building of a school district be tested every 5 years for radon. Provides that it is recommended that new schools of a school district be built using radon resistant new construction techniques. Allows a school district to maintain, make available for review, and notify parents and faculty of test results. Requires the district to report radon test results to the State Board of Education. Requires the State Board to prepare a report every 2 years of the results from all schools that have performed tests, to be submitted to the General Assembly and the Governor. Provides that if IEMA exempts an individual from being required to be a licensed radon professional, the individual does not need to be a licensed radon professional in order to perform screening tests. Provides that if the results of a radon screening test are found to be 4.0 pCi/L or above, the school district may hire a licensed radon professional to perform measurements before any mitigation decisions are made. Provides that if radon levels of 4.0 pCi/L or above are found, it is recommended that affected areas be mitigated by a licensed radon mitigation professional with respect to both design and installation. Provides that a screening test may be done with a test kit found in a hardware store, department store, or home improvement store or with a kit ordered through the mail or over the Internet. Requires the kit to be provided by a laboratory licensed in accordance with the Radon Industry Licensing Act.

HB 1088 Passed By Senate

HB1088 unanimously passed the Senate on 5-13-09. The bill amends the Radon Industry Licensing Act. Prohibits any person from selling a device in this State to detect the presence of radon or radon progeny in the indoor atmosphere without prior approval of the device from the Agency. Requires all electronic radon detection devices sold in this State to be calibrated to ensure the accuracy and precision of their measurements of radon and radon progeny. It also amends the Radon Industry Licensing Act. Creates the Radon-Resistant Building Codes Task Force to make recommendations concerning the adoption of rules for building codes.