BILL NUMBER:  S401

 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 home builders to use radon resistant features when
building 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 typically 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 problem, and homes across the country have been found to have
high levels of radon. In fact, on January 13, 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
inspector 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 developed by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :
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.