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Bill would establish a mold information, awareness program
KEITH ARNOLD
Special to the Legal News
Published: March 12, 2024
The Democratic sponsor of a bill calling for the creation of a mold information and awareness program assured lawmakers that the measure is not an attempt to place a burden on law-abiding and well-intentioned homeowners and renters.
Rather, the goal is to educate Ohioans about the threat mold poses to them, Amherst Rep. Joseph Miller said during a recent Commerce and Labor Committee hearing in the Ohio House of Representatives.
“We want to be sure that the dangers of mold are as publicized as the past lead and radon campaigns,” Miller said.
House Bill 282 would require the state commerce director to establish a mold information and awareness program that stresses the importance of proper mold remediation.
As part of the program, the director would be required every five years to review mold identification and remediation practices in an effort to provide additional protections to state residents.
HB 282 stipulates that the resulting public awareness campaign stress the dangers of mold, in accordance with rules adopted under the bill.
Miller said the idea was raised by a constituent who had lived in a mold-infested home and sought to raise awareness to the harms that may result to individuals living in such conditions.
“After careful research and thoughtful discussion, we believed it was time that the state of Ohio took these dangers seriously,” Miller said.
The lawmaker said that research had shown that children are the most likely to be affected by inhaling mold toxins for extended periods of time.
“The neurocognitive effects at such a young age are an unfortunate truth that many of our children are experiencing,” Miller said. “Other effects include respiratory diseases such as asthma along with gastrointestinal, cancers, infertility, fatigue and other forms of cognitive impairment.”
He said the information he has gleaned from research is not common knowledge to many people.
“I personally owned a rental and found that there was water damage and potentially mold growing,” he told committee members. “I believe many homeowners face the similar situation that I was in and express, ‘What do I do to fix this?’
“We want to help them for their property’s sake, the potential renters and for their own personal benefit as an owner. We have an opportunity to lead on this issue and put Ohio’s health at the forefront of an important discussion.”
The Republican sponsor of HB 282, Rep. Brett Hillyer of Uhrichsville, said he, too, had spoken to constituents who suffered from mold poisoning for years without any knowledge of the mold’s existence or risks.
“If they were informed on the presence and dangers of toxic mold, our constituents could have avoided years of medical bills and psychological distress,” Hillyer said. “This mold program would add no burden to homeowners or tenants, as it is a purely informational program overseen entirely by the Department of Commerce. These studies will better inform homeowners, contractors, health practitioners and lawmakers so we can work together to keep Ohioans safe.”
According to analysis by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission, the bill would exempt any regulatory restrictions included in the rules from reduction requirements in existing law.
The Department of Commerce also would be charged with studying, in consultation with medical professionals, any adverse effects exposure to mold in damp and water-damaged building poses to people, analysis detailed.
Fifteen House members co-sponsored the measure, which awaits further consideration by the committee.
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