S1149-2013 Actions

• Jan 9, 2013: REFERRED TO HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

S1149-2013 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S1149

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 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 lout 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:
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.

S1149-2013 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
 
                                         1149
 2013-2014 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 (PREFILED)
 January 9, 2013
 
 Introduced  by Sens. BRESLIN, SAMPSON -- read twice and ordered printed,
 and when  printed  to  be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Housing,
 Construction and Community Development
 AN  ACT requiring the state fire prevention and building code council to
 implement rules and regulations regarding radon-resistant features  in
 newly constructed homes
 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section 1. The state fire prevention  and  building  code  council  is
 hereby  directed to implement rules and regulations requiring the use of
 radon-resistant features in new home construction.
 

S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01629-01-3

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