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House committee passes radon bill with no testing

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March 12th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa House committee is moving forward with a bill that significantly weakens any attempt to require schools to test for radon gas. The bill was approved by the House Local Government Committee and is eligible for floor debate. The bill requires the districts to report to the state by Dec. 1 whether they’ve tested for radon. The information is to be sent to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2015.

Democrats had been pushing for a bill that would require testing in schools and a plan to reduce radon if the gas was found to exceed recommended safe levels. Rep. Matt Windschitl, a Missouri Valley Republican, says there’s concern required testing would open up the districts and the state to liability and expensive repairs.