LEGISLATIVE ALERT: New Bill Promises Protections for American Families

During the last year, a number of state legislators have attempted to introduce and pass meaningful legislation designed to prevent toxic mold infestations in residential and commercial properties. Many of these bills have died on the vine or shelved because of various special interests.

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D - Michigan) has taken the lead on the federal level and is ready to introduce federal legislation entitled: United States Toxic Mold Safety & Protection Act. He will introduce this legislation in the 107th Congress and in order to get it passed, he needs our help.

All of us must rally support for this important Bill so that industry special interest groups do not prevail at the expense of the American family.

I have provided as an attachment several sample letters that I would urge you to send to Congressman Conyers' office. One letter is applicable for insurance-related claims, one is for builder-related claims, one is applicable for claims involving non-disclosure by the previous owner, and one is for commercial (work/school) related exposures. Kindly select the letter that applies to your specific set of circumstances, modify it if you like, and send it by fax or email to Congressman Conyers' office. The fax number and email address is provided on the sample letter.

Here are some of the major components of the federal legislation Mr. Conyers has proposed:

• The EPA must issue guidelines that define what levels of mold are acceptable and what levels are dangerous.
• EPA sets guidelines to set standards and government oversight over unregulated inspections and remediations by requiring states to license and monitor mold inspectors and remediators.
• CDC must authorize a long term study of the health effects of mold and publish these findings in a report to Congress and the President.
• States can tap into federal dollars to clean mold disasters.
• Create a federal toxic mold insurance program that would provide adequate compensation for families that do not have homeowners insurance or if their private homeowners insurance does not sufficiently cover the costs of mold removal and additional living expenses.
• Families and/or individuals diagnosed by a physician as having mold related illnesses due to toxic mold exposure would be eligible to receive Medicaid if they are (a) uninsured or (b) under insured at the time they suffered physical harm due to toxic mold poisoning.
• Mandate federal guidelines that states must follow that require homeowners and residential real estate developers to disclose mold problems prior to the sale of homes.

This is not an ideal Bill. There are many things that should be added and/or modified however it's a great start.

Please take a few minutes and select the sample letter that best reflects your personal situation, modify it as you see fit, and send it off to Mr. Conyers so that he can demonstrate to his colleagues the overwhelming response by the average American to this important piece of legislation.

I also urge you to pass this onto other members of your email list and ask them to do the same.

In Washington, power is in numbers. Numbers translate into votes. That's what makes Washington tick. We need to have a show of numbers!

Deadline for letters is May 8, 2002.

Thanks,

Melinda Ballard
Policyholders of America

Attachments: (all MS Word documents) insurance, builder, previous owner, workplace and school sample letters

Other Links: Above Letter in MSWord format

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