I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10273 

To direct the Secretary of Defense, in consultation the heads of certain 

agencies and organizations, to conduct a study on the health effects 

of indoor residential mold growth in covered military housing, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 3, 2024 

Mr. COURTNEY (for himself, Mr. MOYLAN, Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia, Mr. 

HUDSON, Mrs. KIGGANS of Virginia, Mr. RUIZ, Mr. AMO, Mr. LARSON

of Connecticut, Mr. MOORE of Utah, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 

MAGAZINER, Mr. DUNN of Florida, Mr. MCGARVEY, Mr. CASE, Mr. MURPHY, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. CROW, and Mr. TURNER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense, in consultation the heads 

of certain agencies and organizations, to conduct a study 

on the health effects of indoor residential mold growth 

in covered military housing, and for other purposes. 

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. STUDY ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF INDOOR RESI2 DENTIAL MOLD; CERTAIN STANDARDS FOR 

3 HOUSING ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS RE4 QUIRED; REPORT. 

5 (a) STUDY AND REPORT ON HEALTH IMPACTS OF

6 INDOOR RESIDENTIAL MOLD.— 

7 (1) STUDY.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 

9 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec10 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Di11 rector of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 

12 Health Affairs, the Secretary of Housing and 

13 Urban Development, the Director of the Cen14 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, the 

15 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

16 Agency, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary 

17 of Health and Human Services, the President 

18 of the National Academy of Sciences, and the 

19 Chair of the Board of Directors of the National 

20 Institute of Building Sciences shall conduct a 

21 comprehensive study of the effects of indoor 

22 residential mold growth in covered military 

23 housing on the health of members of the Armed 

24 Forces and the families of such members resid25 ing in such housing, using the most up-to-date 

26 scientific peer-reviewed literature. 


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1 (B) ELEMENTS.—The study conducted 

2 under subparagraph (A) shall ascertain— 

3 (i) detailed information about harmful 

4 or toxigenic mold, including any toxin or 

5 toxic compound such mold can produce, 

6 that may impact individuals residing in 

7 covered military housing; 

8 (ii) the most accurate research-based 

9 methods of detecting harmful or toxigenic 

10 mold; 

11 (iii) potential dangers of prolonged or 

12 chronic exposure to indoor residential mold 

13 growth to individuals residing in covered 

14 military housing; 

15 (iv) the hazards to individuals respon16 sible for inspecting such military housing 

17 for the presence of mold and to individuals 

18 residing in covered military housing associ19 ated with— 

20 (I) inadequate mold inspections 

21 on military installations; and 

22 (II) improper indoor residential 

23 mold remediation in military unac24 companied housing; 


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1 (v) the estimated current public 

2 health burden of new or exacerbated phys3 ical illness resulting from exposure to in4 door residential mold on the military de5 partments and its effect on quality of life 

6 as it impacts readiness, including the bur7 den on children in military families; 

8 (vi) an improved understanding of the 

9 different health symptomology that can re10 sult from exposure to mold in indoor resi11 dential environments on military installa12 tions, including military unaccompanied 

13 housing; 

14 (vii) the prevalence of idiopathic pul15 monary hemorrhage in infants living in 

16 covered military housing; and 

17 (viii) the effects of indoor mold expo18 sure in early childhood on the development 

19 of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in 

20 children residing in covered military hous21 ing. 

22 (2) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the date 

24 that is three years after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 


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1 submit to Congress and the President a report 

2 that contains the results of the study conducted 

3 under subparagraph (A). 

4 (B) FORM.—The report required by clause 

5 (i) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 

6 may include a classified index. 

7 (b) HEALTH, SAFETY, AND HABITABILITY STAND8 ARDS AND MODEL STANDARDS.— 

9 (1) MODEL STANDARDS FOR PREVENTING, DE10 TECTING, AND REMEDIATING INDOOR RESIDENTIAL

11 MOLD GROWTH.—Based on the results of the inter12 agency health study conducted under subsection (a), 

13 the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the 

14 Administrator of the Environmental Protection 

15 Agency, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel16 opment, the Director of the Centers for Disease 

17 Control and Prevention, the Assistant Secretary of 

18 Labor for Occupational Safety and Health at the 

19 Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the 

20 Secretary of Energy, the Executive Director of the 

21 National Institute of Building Sciences, and the 

22 President of the National Academy of Sciences shall, 

23 in accordance with section 12(d) of the National 

24 Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995 

25 (15 U.S.C. 272 note; Public Law 104–113), jointly 


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1 issue model health, safety, and habitability stand2 ards for preventing, detecting, and remediating in3 door residential mold growth on military installa4 tions, including— 

5 (A) model residential mold inspection 

6 standards for military unaccompanied housing; 

7 (B) model indoor residential mold remedi8 ation standards for military installations; 

9 (C) standards for testing the toxicity of in10 door residential mold and any toxin or toxic 

11 compound produced by indoor residential mold 

12 on military installations; 

13 (D) health and safety standards for the 

14 protection of those inspecting for and remedi15 ating mold in covered military housing; 

16 (E) standards for indoor residential mold 

17 testing labs that serve military installations; 

18 (F) model ventilation standards for the de19 sign, installation, and maintenance of air ven20 tilation or air-conditioning systems in housing 

21 on military installations to prevent indoor resi22 dential mold growth or the creation of condi23 tions that foster indoor mold growth in covered 

24 military housing; and 


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1 (G) model building code standards for 

2 housing on military installations to control 

3 moisture and prevent mold growth. 

4 (2) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

5 possible, model standards issued under this sub6 section shall be developed or issued with the assist7 ance of— 

8 (A) organizations that develop mold and 

9 water damage standards and work with military 

10 installations; 

11 (B) organizations involved in establishing 

12 national building construction standards and 

13 work with military installations; 

14 (C) organizations involved in improving in15 door air quality; 

16 (D) public health advocates that serve the 

17 military community; and 

18 (E) health and medical professionals that 

19 provide care for members of the Armed Forces 

20 and the families of such members, including 

21 practitioners that care for children of such 

22 members. 

23 (3) RESILIENCY.—Model standards issued 

24 under this subsection shall take into account geo25 graphic diversity, propensity for extreme weather or 


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1 flooding, and other resiliency metrics that affect 

2 military housing. 

3 (4) DEADLINES.— 

4 (A) PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT.—The 

5 officers identified in paragraph (1) shall make 

6 draft standards issued under this section avail7 able for public review and comment at least 90 

8 days prior to publication of the final standards 

9 or model standards pursuant to subparagraph 

10 (B). 

11 (B) PUBLICATION.—Not later than three 

12 years after the results of the study conducted 

13 under subsection (a) are submitted to Congress 

14 in accordance with such section, the officers 

15 identified in such subsection shall issue, and 

16 make available to the public, final standards 

17 and model standards under this section. 

18 (5) REVIEW AND UPDATES.—The officers iden19 tified in paragraph (1) shall— 

20 (A) review the model standards issued 

21 under this subsection at least once every five 

22 years based on latest scientific advances and 

23 published studies relating to indoor residential 

24 mold growth; and 


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1 (B) update such standards and model 

2 standards as necessary to preserve and improve 

3 the quality of housing on military installations, 

4 and prevent the displacement of those currently 

5 living on military installations. 

6 (c) CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW HOUS7 ING ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, in 

9 consultation with Secretary of Housing and Urban 

10 Development, the Executive Director of the National 

11 Institute of Building Sciences, and the President of 

12 the National Academy of Sciences, to the extent 

13 such Director and President agree to participate, 

14 shall develop model construction standards and tech15 niques for preventing and controlling indoor residen16 tial mold in new residential properties on military in17 stallations. 

18 (2) CONTENTS.—The model standards and 

19 techniques shall provide for geographic differences in 

20 construction types and materials, geology, weather, 

21 and other variables that may affect indoor residen22 tial mold levels in new buildings and on various mili23 tary installations. 


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1 (3) CONSULTATION.—To the maximum extent 

2 possible, such standards and techniques shall be de3 veloped with— 

4 (A) the assistance of organizations involved 

5 in establishing national building construction 

6 standards and techniques, including such orga7 nizations that establish such standards for mili8 tary installations; 

9 (B) the assistance of organizations that de10 velop mold and water damage standards on 

11 military installations; and 

12 (C) public health advocates that serve the 

13 military community. 

14 (4) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make a 

15 draft of the document containing the model stand16 ards and techniques available for public review and 

17 comment. The Secretary shall make final model 

18 standards and techniques available to the public not 

19 later than one year after the date of the enactment 

20 of this Act. 

21 (5) APPLICABILITY TO NEW CONSTRUCTION

22 AND REHABILITATION.—Within 1 year of the publi23 cation of the final model standards and techniques 

24 required by subparagraph (D), the Secretary of De25 fense shall include such model standards and techVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:12 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10273.IH H10273

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1 niques as a requirement for residential rehabilitation 

2 or new construction projects funded with Federal 

3 appropriations made available by such agencies. 

4 (d) EDUCATION FOR MILITARY HEALTH PROFES5 SIONALS.—The Secretary of Defense shall include edu6 cation for military health professions on mold-related ill7 ness, including signs and symptoms of toxigenic mold ex8 posure, in recurring training received by miliary health 

9 practitioners at such time and in such manner as the Sec10 retary determines appropriate. 

11 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) The term ‘‘covered military housing’’ 

13 means— 

14 (A) military unaccompanied housing; 

15 (B) military family housing; and 

16 (C) housing acquired or constructed under 

17 subchapter IV of chapter 169 of title 10, 

18 United States Code. 

19 (2) The term ‘‘indoor residential mold’’ means 

20 any form of multi-cellular fungi in indoor environ21 ments, including cladosporium, penicillium, 

22 alternaria, aspergillus, fusarium, trichoderma, 

23 memnoniella, mucor, stachybotrys chartarum, 

24 chaetomium, streptomyces, and epicoccumoften 


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1 found in water-damaged indoor environments and 

2 building materials. 

3 (3) The term ‘‘toxigenic mold’’ means any in4 door mold growth that may be capable of producing 

5 a toxin or toxic compound, including mycotoxins and 

6 mVOCs, that can cause pulmonary, respiratory, neu7 rological, gastrointestinal, or dermatological ill8 nesses, or other major adverse health impacts, as de9 termined by the Secretary of Defense in consultation 

10 with the Director of the National Institutes of 

11 Health, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel12 opment, the Administrator of the Environmental 

13 Protection Agency, and the Director of the Centers 

14 for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Æ 


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