Bill Text: IL HB3713 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed


Bill Title: Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to supply all active classroom instructors, all school staff and administration, and district leadership with an educational document, in a PDF and a physical format, explaining at a minimum the values of good indoor air quality, including peer-reviewed research demonstrating effects of poor and good indoor air quality, an explanation of airborne transmission of pathogens and other airborne substances, a basic explanation of air changes per hour and relation to outdoor air and filtered air, best practice recommendations for the portable air cleaner and the air quality monitor, including guidance on theory, function, placement, and operation of the monitor. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to ensure that all active classrooms that are not mechanically ventilated have at least 2 properly functioning windows, or one window in situations where only one is present, that can open and can safely stay open. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with an air quality monitor that meets specified requirements. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to ensure that all active classrooms are equipped with a portable air cleaner that meets specified requirements. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to supply each school with 5 additional portable air cleaners and 5 additional air quality monitors to be used in school health offices, libraries, cafeterias, and other similar spaces. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to undertake a ventilation verification assessment of all mechanical ventilation systems in the school district performed by a certified assessor or a mechanical engineer. Makes other changes.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 24-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2023-12-12 - Added as Alternate Co-Sponsor Sen. Mattie Hunter [HB3713 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB3713-Engrossed.html



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1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
52-3.196 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new)
7 Sec. 2-3.196. School ventilation.
8 (a) As used in this Section:
9 "Active classroom" means any room currently being used for
10any duration of in-person instruction of 4 or more students at
11a time.
12 "ASHRAE" means the American Society of Heating,
13Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
14 "Certified assessor" means:
15 (1) a certified technician; or
16 (2) a person who is certified to perform ventilation
17 verification assessments of heating, ventilation, and air
18 conditioning systems through a certification body
19 accredited by the American National Standards Institute.
20 "CADR" means clean air delivery rate.
21 "Certified technician" means a person who is certified as
22a Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing Bureau Technician by the
23International Certification Board and accredited to comply

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1with ISO/IEC 17024, which is the conformity assessment
2regarding general requirements for bodies operating
3certification of persons, by the American National Standards
4Institute in Testing Adjusting and Balancing or another
5nationally recognized certifying body accredited to ISO/IEC
617024 in testing adjusting and balancing.
7 "CFM" means cubic feet per minute.
8 "dBa" means decibels.
9 "HEPA" means High Efficiency Particulate Air.
10 "HVAC" means Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning.
11 "Mechanical engineer" means a professional engineer
12licensed as a mechanical engineer by the Department of
13Financial and Professional Regulation who has professional
14experience with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
15systems.
16 "PM2.5" means particulate matter at 2.5 microns or less.
17 "PM10" means particulate matter at 10 microns or less.
18 "PPM" means parts per million.
19 "UV" means ultraviolet.
20 "Skilled and trained construction workforce" means a
21workforce in which at least 40% of the workers are graduates of
22or registered in and attending an apprenticeship program
23registered with the workforce solutions department or an
24apprenticeship program to which the department has granted
25reciprocal approval for the applicable construction
26occupation.

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1 (b) The State Board shall require all school districts to
2supply all active classroom instructors, all school staff and
3administration, and district leadership with an educational
4document, in a PDF and a physical format, explaining at a
5minimum the values of good indoor air quality, including
6peer-reviewed research demonstrating effects of poor and good
7indoor air quality, an explanation of airborne transmission of
8pathogens and other airborne substances, a basic explanation
9of air changes per hour and relation to outdoor air and
10filtered air, best practice recommendations for the portable
11air cleaner and the air quality monitor, including guidance on
12theory, function, placement, and operation of the monitor. The
13document shall be developed with the assistance of a major
14independent and nonpartisan approved organization recognized
15as a subject matter expert in the field of air quality, such as
16a local ASHRAE chapter. This document shall be created and
17supplied to schools within 3 months of the effective date of
18this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly.
19 (c) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
20require all school districts to ensure that all active
21classrooms that are not mechanically ventilated have at least
222 properly functioning windows, or one window in situations
23where only one is present, that can open and can safely stay
24open. School districts must be in compliance with this Section
25within 6 months of the effective date of this amendatory Act of
26the 103rd General Assembly.

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1 (d) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
2require all school districts to ensure that all active
3classrooms are equipped with an air quality monitor that:
4 (1) is installed and operating within one month
5 following delivery;
6 (2) remains in the active classroom until classroom is
7 no longer an active classroom;
8 (3) is an air quality monitor that has been determined
9 by the State Board to be suitable, by the State Board
10 seeking out and obtaining a written statement noting that
11 the capabilities of the monitor in question are sufficient
12 to serve the purposes described in this Section, from a
13 major independent and nonpartisan organization recognized
14 as a subject matter expert in the field of air quality,
15 such as a local ASHRAE chapter. The written statement
16 shall minimally address suitability of: the selected
17 monitor's measurement technology, calibration
18 specifications, and manufacturer stated accuracies and
19 ranges;
20 (4) measures, at a minimum, carbon dioxide and PM2.5.
21 Selected monitors are recommended to also measure carbon
22 monoxide, PM10, volatile organic compounds, temperature,
23 and humidity;
24 (5) displays, at a minimum, carbon dioxide readings
25 through a display on the device or other means, such as on
26 a computer or cellular phone application;

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1 (6) is corded and does not rely solely on batteries
2 for power;
3 (7) is to be located between 3 and 6 feet above the
4 floor and at least 5 feet away from doors, operable
5 windows, or human occupants;
6 (8) connects via a wired or wireless connection to
7 other applicable monitors so as to permit recording of
8 data which includes at least the maximum carbon dioxide
9 concentrations for a period of at least one year, as well
10 as remote access to current air quality readings through a
11 computer or cellular phone application; and
12 (9) provides notification through a visual indicator
13 on the monitor, or other alert such as electronic mail,
14 text message or cellular phone application, when the
15 carbon dioxide levels in the classroom have exceeded a PPM
16 level recommended to the State Board in writing by a major
17 independent and nonpartisan organization recognized as a
18 subject matter expert in the field of air quality, such as
19 a local ASHRAE chapter.
20 Each school shall record all incidents where the
21recommended PPM level was breached in a classroom and maintain
22those records for at least 5 years.
23 Any supplied air quality monitor under this subsection may
24not be shared between active classrooms.
25 If devices matching the criteria described in this
26subsection are unavailable, the State Board shall contact a

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1major independent and nonpartisan organization recognized as a
2subject matter expert in the field of air quality, such as a
3local ASHRAE chapter, and request assistance in determining
4suitable selection criteria for an air quality monitor that
5will sufficiently accomplish the goals of: providing teachers
6and staff with air quality information to facilitate managing
7indoor air quality; storing a sufficient type and duration of
8data to facilitate ventilation assessments; provide remote
9access to current air quality readings; and generally align
10with contemporary best practice recommendations.
11 (e) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
12require all school districts to ensure that all active
13classrooms are equipped with a portable air cleaner that:
14 (1) is installed and operating within one month
15 following delivery;
16 (2) remains in the active classroom until classroom is
17 no longer an active classroom;
18 (3) is a portable air cleaner the State Board has
19 determined to be suitable, by seeking out and obtaining a
20 written statement noting that the capabilities of the
21 portable air cleaner in question are sufficient to serve
22 the purposes described in this Section, from a major
23 independent and nonpartisan organization recognized as a
24 subject matter expert in the field of air quality, such as
25 a local ASHRAE chapter;
26 (4) utilizes a HEPA filter that captures 99.97% of 0.3

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1 micron particles. A filter stated to be equal to or
2 superior to a HEPA may not be used;
3 (5) utilizes or has the option of utilizing a
4 secondary filter for gaseous pollutants, such as activated
5 carbon;
6 (6) only utilizes HEPA filtration, as opposed to
7 additional technologies such as ionization, chemical
8 processes, and UV. If such additional technologies are
9 present in the selected portable air cleaner they must be
10 able to be disabled;
11 (7) Produces 500 or more CFM as measured by CADR or
12 similar metric of filtered airflow;
13 (8) Produces 500 or more CFM of filtered airflow at
14 under 45 dBa of noise, according to manufacturer supplied
15 dBa test results measured at one meter in front of the
16 portable air cleaner;
17 (9) is Underwriters Laboratories certified or
18 certified to Underwriters Laboratories standards;
19 (10) has a manufacturer's warranty of at least one
20 year;
21 (11) shall be continuously operated during room
22 occupancy on at least low speed;
23 (12) shall be maintained according to manufacturer's
24 recommendation, written approval shall be obtained from
25 the manufacturer if deviation from standard
26 recommendations is being considered; and

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1 (13) shall be replaced within one month if it becomes
2 inoperable.
3 If a single portable air cleaner on the market does not
4meet the parameters of this subsection, then 2 or more
5portable air cleaners per active classroom may be substituted
6if they produce a combined 500 or more CFM, as measured by CADR
7or similar metric, of filtered airflow at under 45 combined
8dBa of noise according to manufacturer supplied dBa test
9results measured at one meter in front of the portable air
10cleaner.
11 Any supplied portable air cleaner may not be shared
12between active classrooms.
13 (f) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
14require all school districts to supply each school with 5
15additional portable air cleaners and 5 additional air quality
16monitors that meet the requirements of subsections (d) and (e)
17to be used in school health offices, libraries, cafeterias,
18and other similar spaces.
19 (g) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall
20require all school districts to undertake a ventilation
21verification assessment of all mechanical ventilation systems
22in the school district performed by a certified assessor or a
23mechanical engineer and shall be based on physical
24measurements made during the assessment. If an assessment is
25performed by a certified assessor, the assessment report shall
26be reviewed by a mechanical engineer. The ventilation

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1verification assessment shall verify whether the existing
2mechanical ventilation system is operating in accordance with
3design parameters and meets the requirements of any applicable
4building codes. The ventilation verification assessment for a
5heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system shall
6include:
7 (1) testing for maximum filter efficiency;
8 (2) measurements of outside air rate;
9 (3) verification of operation of ventilation
10 components;
11 (4) measurement of all air distribution inlets and
12 outlets;
13 (5) verification of unit operation and that required
14 maintenance has been performed;
15 (6) verification of control sequences;
16 (7) verification or installation of carbon dioxide
17 sensors; and
18 (8) collection of field data for the installation of
19 mechanical ventilation if none exists.
20 (h) The verification assessment report from the mechanical
21engineer shall include appropriate corrective actions needed
22for the mechanical ventilation system or the heating,
23ventilation, and air conditioning infrastructure, including
24installation of appropriate filters, installation of carbon
25dioxide sensors and additional maintenance, repairs, upgrades
26or replacement.

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1 (i) The school district shall have a ventilation
2verification assessment performed on all mechanical
3ventilation systems in the school district at least every 5
4years. The ventilation verification assessment and the
5ventilation verification reports are public documents and
6shall be available to the public upon request.
7 (j) Each school's first ventilation verification
8assessment shall occur between one and 6 months after the
9school's air quality monitors have been installed and data has
10started recording, and all measurements for this assessment,
11and all following, shall be made in the same conditions in
12which the building typically operates. The assessment plan
13shall be developed with the assistance and approval of a major
14independent and nonpartisan major organization recognized as a
15subject matter expert in the field of air quality, such as a
16local ASHRAE chapter, to ensure that the assessment results
17are representative of indoor air quality conditions
18experienced during normal occupancy.
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