HB 1656

                                                 PRINTER'S NO.   2015
               THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                    HOUSE BILL
                    No. 1656
                                           Session of
                                             2025
INTRODUCED BY BENHAM, MAYES, WAXMAN, SANCHEZ, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ AND
   FRANKEL, JUNE 24, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JUNE 25, 2025
                              AN ACT
1 Promoting indoor air quality in facilities housing or serving
2    vulnerable populations; providing for tax credits, for
3    certification programs, for public education and for data
4    collection; and imposing duties on the Department of Health.
5    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1.   Short title.
8    This act shall be known and may be cited as the Improving
9 Indoor Air for Seniors and Children Act.
10 Section 2.   Definitions.
11    The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13 context clearly indicates otherwise:
14    "ASHRAE."   The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
15 Air-Conditioning Engineers.
16    "Contaminant."   A biological, chemical, physical or
17 radiological agent that pollutes or reduces the purity of indoor
18 air, including particulate matter or agents identified by the
19 Environmental Protection Agency or ASHRAE.
1    "HVAC."     Heating, ventilation and air conditioning.
2    "Indoor air quality."     The degree to which indoor air is free
3 of excessive levels of contaminants injurious to human health.
4    "Qualified air filter upgrade."      A certified installation or
5 repair of air filters in compliance with ASHRAE Standard 241 and
6 achieving MERV 13 or higher.
7    "Qualified HVAC upgrade."     Installation or repair of HVAC
8 systems meeting the same standards as above.
9    "Qualified indoor air quality assessment."     An assessment
10 meeting standards issued by ASHRAE and the Department of Health.
11    "Qualifying property."     A commercial or public property
12 primarily used to house, treat or educate seniors 65 years of
13 age or older or children under 18 years of age, including
14 schools, day cares, senior living facilities and nursing homes.
15 Section 3.     Legislative intent.
16    The General Assembly finds and declares that improving indoor
17 air quality in facilities serving seniors and children is
18 critical to public health. It is the policy of this Commonwealth
19 to promote safe indoor environments through scientifically
20 grounded standards and equitable public investment.
21 Section 4.     Indoor air quality.
22    (a)   Tax credit.--A taxpayer shall be allowed a nonrefundable
23 tax credit against the personal income tax or corporate net
24 income tax for expenditures incurred in the taxable year related
25 to indoor air quality improvements in qualifying properties.
26    (b)   Amount.--The tax credit shall equal the sum of:
27(1)   For qualified indoor air quality assessments, $1 per
28    square foot.
29(2)   For qualified air filter upgrades, $5 per square
30    foot.
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1(3)   For qualified HVAC upgrades, $50 per square foot.
2    (c)   Limitations.--The following limits shall not be
3 exceeded:
4(1)   Credits for qualified HVAC upgrades or qualified air
5    filter upgrades shall not exceed 50% of total expenditures in
6    the taxable year.
7(2)   Credits for qualified indoor air quality assessments
8    shall not exceed the amount actually paid.
9 Section 5.     Indoor air quality certification program.
10    Within 365 days of the effective date of this section, the
11 Department of Health shall establish a voluntary certification
12 program to certify qualifying properties meeting or exceeding
13 indoor air quality standards. Certifications shall be made
14 publicly available.
15 Section 6.     Public education.
16    The Department of Health shall disseminate information
17 concerning:
18(1)   Health effects of poor indoor air quality.
19(2)   Locations and building types associated with risk.
20(3)   Mitigation methods.
21(4)   Technologies and remediation actions.
22(5)   Protection of vulnerable subpopulations.
23 Section 7.     Public health surveillance and research.
24    The Department of Health is authorized to:
25(1)   Collect and analyze indoor air quality related
26    health data.
27(2)   Coordinate research on contaminants and health
28    effects.
29(3)   Collaborate with academic and national partners.
30(4)   Obtain de-identified data for epidemiological study,
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1    subject to applicable Federal and State privacy laws.
2 Section 8.   Effective date.
3    This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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