I 

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.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reduced Asthma 

3 Through Air Quality Improvement Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 The Congress finds that in a 2000 report entitled 

6 ‘‘Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures’’, 

7 the Institute of Medicine determined that—

8 (1) in 1996, asthma accounted for the hos9 pitalization of 474,000 people in the United States, 

10 including 195,000 children; 

11 (2) during the mid-1980s, medical costs directly 

12 associated with asthma constituted about 1 percent 

13 of all health care costs in the United States; and 

14 (3) there is significant evidence of the link be15 tween the development of asthma and the presence 

16 of indoor contaminants, such as dust mites, tobacco 

17 smoke, nitrogen oxide, and debris from cockroaches. 

18 SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION TO 

19 SCHOOLS ON IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUAL20 ITY. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to subsection (b), the 

22 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (in 

23 this section referred to as the ‘‘Administrator’’) shall seek 

24 to enter into an agreement with nongovernmental organi25 zations to establish a permanent program to provide infor-
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1 mation to school administrators on methods of improving 

2 indoor air quality. 

3 (b) EXISTING PROGRAMS.—The Administrator may 

4 satisfy the requirement of subsection (a) by publishing in 

5 the Federal Register notice that an existing program or 

6 combination of programs fulfills the purpose of the pro7 gram described in that subsection. 

8 SEC. 4. BUILDING HEALTH ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. 

9 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Director of the National Insti10 tute for Occupational Safety and Health (in this section 

11 referred to as the ‘‘Director’’) shall implement a Building 

12 Health Assessment Program to provide building assess13 ments to employers and employees on measures to reduce 

14 significant indoor air health risks. 

15 (b) SELECTION OF BUILDINGS FOR ASSESSMENT.—

16 (1) REQUEST FOR ASSESSMENT.—The Director 

17 may initiate an assessment of a building under this 

18 section only after receipt of a request for such as19 sessment from an employer, an employee, or an au20 thorized representative of an employee, of an entity 

21 located in the building. 

22 (2) SELECTION.—In selecting a building for as23 sessment pursuant to a request under paragraph 

24 (1), the Director shall consider the following: 
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1 (A) The seriousness and extent of signifi2 cant indoor air health risks. 

3 (B) The potential for the assessment to ex4 pand knowledge of building assessment methods 

5 and response measures. 

6 (c) ONSITE ASSESSMENTS.—Pursuant to a request 

7 under paragraph (1), the Director may conduct an onsite 

8 assessment of a building, including a Federal, State, or 

9 municipal building. 

10 (d) ASSESSMENT ELEMENTS.—An assessment under 

11 this section shall include, at a minimum, identification of 

12 the following: 

13 (1) Probable significant indoor air health risks. 

14 (2) Probable sources and health effects of iden15 tified significant indoor air health risks. 

16 (3) Measures for eliminating, controlling, or re17 ducing any such significant indoor air health risks. 

18 (e) REPORTS.—As promptly as possible, the Director 

19 shall—

20 (1) prepare a report on any assessment of a 

21 building conducted under this section; 

22 (2) provide the report to the employer or em23 ployee who requested the assessment; and 

24 (3) make the report publicly available. 
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1 SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR IMPROVING INDOOR AIR QUALITY. 

2 The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 

3 establish a grant program to—

4 (1) assist schools to implement the indoor air 

5 quality improvements recommended by the Adminis6 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

7 under the program established under section 3; and 

8 (2) assist employers to implement the rec9 ommendations of building assessments conducted by 

10 the Director of the National Institute for Occupa11 tional Safety and Health under section 4.

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