[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1849 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1849

 To require the establishment of programs by the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the National Institute 
  for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Secretary of Health and 
   Human Services to improve indoor air quality in schools and other 
                               buildings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 29, 2003

Mr. Andrews (for himself and Mr. Rangel) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the establishment of programs by the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of the National Institute 
  for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Secretary of Health and 
   Human Services to improve indoor air quality in schools and other 
                               buildings.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Reduced Asthma Through Air Quality 
Improvement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that in a 2000 report entitled ``Clearing the 
Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures'', the Institute of Medicine 
determined that--
            (1) in 1996, asthma accounted for the hospitalization of 
        474,000 people in the United States, including 195,000 
        children;
            (2) during the mid-1980s, medical costs directly associated 
        with asthma constituted about 1 percent of all health care 
        costs in the United States; and
            (3) there is significant evidence of the link between the 
        development of asthma and the presence of indoor contaminants, 
        such as dust mites, tobacco smoke, nitrogen oxide, and debris 
        from cockroaches.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION TO SCHOOLS ON IMPROVING 
              INDOOR AIR QUALITY.

    (a) Establishment.--Subject to subsection (b), the Administrator of 
the Environmental Protection Agency (in this section referred to as the 
``Administrator'') shall seek to enter into an agreement with 
nongovernmental organizations to establish a permanent program to 
provide information to school administrators on methods of improving 
indoor air quality.
    (b) Existing Programs.--The Administrator may satisfy the 
requirement of subsection (a) by publishing in the Federal Register 
notice that an existing program or combination of programs fulfills the 
purpose of the program described in that subsection.

SEC. 4. BUILDING HEALTH ASSESSMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authority.--The Director of the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health (in this section referred to as the 
``Director'') shall implement a Building Health Assessment Program to 
provide building assessments to employers and employees on measures to 
reduce significant indoor air health risks.
    (b) Selection of Buildings for Assessment.--
            (1) Request for assessment.--The Director may initiate an 
        assessment of a building under this section only after receipt 
        of a request for such assessment from an employer, an employee, 
        or an authorized representative of an employee, of an entity 
        located in the building.
            (2) Selection.--In selecting a building for assessment 
        pursuant to a request under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
        consider the following:
                    (A) The seriousness and extent of significant 
                indoor air health risks.
                    (B) The potential for the assessment to expand 
                knowledge of building assessment methods and response 
                measures.
    (c) Onsite Assessments.--Pursuant to a request under paragraph (1), 
the Director may conduct an onsite assessment of a building, including 
a Federal, State, or municipal building.
    (d) Assessment Elements.--An assessment under this section shall 
include, at a minimum, identification of the following:
            (1) Probable significant indoor air health risks.
            (2) Probable sources and health effects of identified 
        significant indoor air health risks.
            (3) Measures for eliminating, controlling, or reducing any 
        such significant indoor air health risks.
    (e) Reports.--As promptly as possible, the Director shall--
            (1) prepare a report on any assessment of a building 
        conducted under this section;
            (2) provide the report to the employer or employee who 
        requested the assessment; and
            (3) make the report publicly available.

SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY.

    The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall establish a grant 
program to--
            (1) assist schools to implement the indoor air quality 
        improvements recommended by the Administrator of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency under the program established 
        under section 3; and
            (2) assist employers to implement the recommendations of 
        building assessments conducted by the Director of the National 
        Institute for Occupational Safety and Health under section 4.
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