103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB3713

 

Introduced 2/17/2023, by Rep. Camille Y. Lilly

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new

    Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education 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 and shall be based on physical measurements made during the assessment. Provides that if an assessment is performed by a certified assessor, the assessment report shall be reviewed by a mechanical engineer. Provides that the ventilation verification assessment shall verify whether the existing mechanical ventilation system is operating in accordance with design parameters and meets the requirements of any applicable building codes. Provides that the ventilation verification assessment for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system shall follow specified standards. Provides that the verification assessment report from the mechanical engineer shall include appropriate corrective actions needed for the mechanical ventilation system or the heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure, including installation of appropriate filters, installation of carbon dioxide sensors and additional maintenance, repairs, upgrades or replacement. Provides that the State Board shall require all school districts to make the appropriate corrective actions identified in the ventilation verification assessment. Sets forth requirements for corrective actions, standards, and verification of work.


LRB103 29805 RJT 56212 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB3713LRB103 29805 RJT 56212 b

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    "certified assessor" means:
10        (1) a certified technician; or
11        (2) a person who is certified to perform ventilation
12    verification assessments of heating, ventilation and air
13    conditioning systems through a certification body
14    accredited by the American national standards institute.
15    "Certified technician" means a person who is certified as
16a testing and balancing technician by an accredited
17organization; provided that the accreditor of the
18certification organization is approved by the construction
19industries commission.
20    "Mechanical engineer" means a professional engineer
21licensed as a mechanical engineer by the state board of
22licensure for professional engineers and professional
23surveyors and who has professional experience with heating,

 

 

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1ventilation and air conditioning systems.
2    "Skilled and trained construction workforce" means a
3workforce in which at least forty percent of the workers are
4graduates of or registered in and attending an apprenticeship
5program registered with the workforce solutions department or
6an apprenticeship program to which the department has granted
7reciprocal approval for the applicable construction
8occupation.
9    (b) The State Board shall require all school districts to
10undertake a ventilation verification assessment of all
11mechanical ventilation systems in the school district
12performed by a certified assessor or a mechanical engineer and
13shall be based on physical measurements made during the
14assessment. If an assessment is performed by a certified
15assessor, the assessment report shall be reviewed by a
16mechanical engineer. The ventilation verification assessment
17shall verify whether the existing mechanical ventilation
18system is operating in accordance with design parameters and
19meets the requirements of any applicable building codes. The
20ventilation verification assessment for a heating, ventilation
21and air conditioning system shall include:
22        (1) testing for maximum filter efficiency;
23        (2) measurements of outside air rate;
24        (3) verification of operation of ventilation
25    components;
26        (4) measurement of all air distribution inlets and

 

 

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1    outlets;
2        (5) verification of unit operation and that required
3    maintenance has been performed;
4        (6) verification of control sequences;
5        (7) verification or installation of carbon dioxide
6    sensors; and
7        (8) collection of field data for the installation of
8    mechanical ventilation if none exists.
9    (c) The verification assessment report from the mechanical
10engineer shall include appropriate corrective actions needed
11for the mechanical ventilation system or the heating,
12ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure, including
13installation of appropriate filters, installation of carbon
14dioxide sensors and additional maintenance, repairs, upgrades
15or replacement.
16    (d) The State Board shall require all school districts to
17make the appropriate corrective actions identified in the
18ventilation verification assessment. These corrective actions
19shall include testing, adjusting and balancing the public
20school mechanical ventilation system and, if necessary or
21cost-effective, shall include repairs, upgrades or replacement
22of the existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning
23system or the installation of a stand-alone mechanical
24ventilation system. The corrective actions identified in the
25ventilation verification assessment may include general
26maintenance, reading and adjustment of ventilation rates,

 

 

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1filter replacement to meet a minimum efficiency reporting
2value of at least thirteen, carbon dioxide monitor
3installation or whole-system installation or replacement.
4Portable filtration and air cleaners shall be used only if the
5existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning
6infrastructure cannot provide minimum filtration and
7ventilation requirements or, as recommended by a mechanical
8engineer, as a supplemental enhancement to the permanent
9heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure when
10the desired indoor air quality cannot be achieved with the
11mechanical ventilation system or there are concerns with
12outdoor air contaminants such as those created by wildfires
13and pollution.
14    (e) School districts shall ensure that all work required
15by the ventilation verification assessment is performed using
16a skilled and trained construction workforce that is in
17compliance with the Construction Industries Licensing Act and
18rules promulgated in accordance with that act. The public
19school facilities authority shall work in consultation with
20the department and the construction industries division of the
21regulation and licensing department to ensure that the
22assessments and construction required by the Public School
23Ventilation Improvement Act meet all standards and
24requirements.
25    (f) Upon completion of work, the school district shall
26submit a ventilation verification report to the department.

 

 

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1The report shall include:
2        (1) the name and address of the public school and the
3    person preparing and certifying the report;
4        (2) the name and address of the certified assessors,
5    certified technicians, mechanical engineers and
6    contractors who performed verification assessments or
7    construction and copies of certifications and licenses;
8        (3) a copy of the procurement documents; and
9        (4) documentation of:
10            (A) initial operating ventilation rate
11        verifications;
12            (B) adjustments, repairs, upgrades or
13        replacements;
14            (C) final operating conditions, including the
15        minimum efficiency reporting value of the filtration
16        system and verified ventilation and exhaust rates for
17        classrooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, restrooms,
18        offices and other occupied spaces;
19            (D) verification of carbon dioxide monitors,
20        including make and model of the monitors; and
21            (E) verification that all work has been tested and
22        adjusted by certified technicians or mechanical
23        engineers.
24    (f) The school district shall have a ventilation
25verification assessment performed on all mechanical
26ventilation systems in the school district at least every five

 

 

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1years. The ventilation verification assessment and the
2ventilation verification reports are public documents and
3shall be available to the public upon request.