119-hr2746

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2746 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2746

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

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 April 8, 2025

 Ms. Stevens 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 2026 through 2030.

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 2026 through 2030.

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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