Fix Moldy Housing Act

Subjects: Environmental Protection


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1104 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1104

  To assist State and Tribal governments in assessing and remediating 
                     mold, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 17, 2023

   Ms. Stevens (for herself and Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To assist State and Tribal governments in assessing and remediating 
                     mold, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fix Moldy Housing Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON CONDITIONS IN WHICH MOLD ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION IS 
              WARRANTED.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a study on--
            (1) the conditions in which indoor mold assessment and 
        remediation is warranted; and
            (2) how to assess and remediate indoor mold properly and 
        safely.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act--
            (1) the study under subsection (a) shall be completed; and
            (2) the Administrator shall submit a report to the Congress 
        on the results of such study.

SEC. 3. STANDARDS FOR ASSESSING AND REMEDIATING MOLD.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator, in conjunction with the heads of 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall issue nonbinding national standards 
that--
            (1) identify levels of mold that should be assessed and 
        remediated; and
            (2) outline standards for--
                    (A) properly and safely assessing mold; and
                    (B) properly and safely remediating mold.
    (b) Consideration.--In issuing the standards under subsection (a), 
the Administrator shall take into consideration the results of the 
study conducted under section 2.

SEC. 4. PROGRAM TO ASSIST STATE AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS WITH ASSESSING 
              AND REMEDIATING MOLD.

    (a) Program.--Taking into consideration the results of the study 
under section 2 and the national standards under section 3, the 
Administrator shall carry out a program to assist State and Tribal 
governments in carrying out programs and activities to assess and 
remediate mold.
    (b) Grants.--
            (1) Authorization.--In carrying out the program under 
        subsection (a), the Administrator shall award grants to State 
        and Tribal governments to establish a licensing program for 
        persons engaged in assessing and remediating mold.
            (2) Permissible use.--A grant awarded under paragraph (1) 
        may be used to pay the costs of operating a licensing program 
        described in paragraph (1), including administrative costs.
            (3) Preference.--In awarding grants under paragraph (1), 
        the Administrator shall give preference to State and Tribal 
        governments that include geographic areas that are highly 
        susceptible to indoor mold contamination based on--
                    (A) the national standards established under 
                section 3;
                    (B) outdoor environmental conditions, such as 
                humidity; or
                    (C) other factors identified by the Administrator.
    (c) Technical Assistance.--In carrying out the program under 
subsection (a), the Administrator shall provide technical assistance to 
State and Tribal programs to assess and remediate mold.
    (d) Training Program.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(a), the Administrator shall administer training seminars on assessing 
and remediating mold.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR ASSESSMENT AND REMEDIATION OF MOLD IN PUBLIC 
              BUILDINGS AND SEVERELY IMPACTED HOMES.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall award grants to State and 
Tribal governments to cover the costs associated with assessing and 
remediating mold in--
            (1) buildings owned or leased by such governments, 
        including schools and housing; and
            (2) private residential properties, including single family 
        and multifamily properties.
    (b) Additional Permissible Uses of Funds.--In addition to uses 
allowed under subsection (a), a grant awarded under this section may 
also be used to cover the costs of temporary housing for periods not in 
excess of 6 months, including moving costs, for individuals who--
            (1) are severely impacted by mold in their residences;
            (2) are without insurance coverage for mold; and
            (3) do not have sufficient financial resources to obtain 
        alternative housing, as determined on a case-by-case basis by 
        the State or Tribal government.
    (c) Licensing Program.--As a condition on receipt of a grant 
awarded under this section, a State or Tribal government shall agree to 
implement a licensing program for persons in the relevant jurisdiction 
engaged in assessing and remediating mold.
    (d) Not for Use for High-Income Households.--As a condition on 
receipt of a grant awarded under this section, a State or Tribal 
government shall agree to refrain from using the grant to assess or 
remediate mold in housing occupied by households that are, as 
determined by the Administrator, high-income.
    (e) Prioritization.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
Administrator shall give priority to--
            (1) applicants proposing to use a grant under this section 
        to assess and remediate mold in--
                    (A) housing occupied by households that are, as 
                determined by the Administrator, low-income; or
                    (B) buildings serving communities that are, as 
                determined by the Administrator, low-income; and
            (2) State and Tribal governments that include geographic 
        areas that are highly susceptible to indoor mold contamination 
        based on--
                    (A) the national standards established under 
                section 3;
                    (B) outdoor environmental conditions, such as 
                humidity; or
                    (C) other factors identified by the Administrator.
    (f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of activities 
implemented with a grant under this section in any fiscal year shall 
not exceed 60 percent of the costs incurred by the State or Tribal 
government receiving the grant in implementing such activities.
    (g) Allocation.--Of the funds made available to carry out this 
section each fiscal year--
            (1) at least 20 percent shall be used pursuant to 
        subsection (a) to cover costs associated with assessing and 
        remediating mold in buildings owned or leased by governments; 
        and
            (2) at least 20 percent shall be used pursuant to 
        subsection (a) to cover costs associated with assessing and 
        remediating mold in private residential properties.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025 through 2029.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

     In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) Mold.--The term ``mold'' means a fungal growth that 
        forms and spreads on various kinds of damp or decaying organic 
        matter.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' includes, in addition to the 
        several States, the District of Columbia and any territory of 
        the United States.
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