Increasing Public Awareness of Mold Health Effects

Section 1 of the bill enacts the "Mold Awareness and Registration Act", which requires the department of public health and environment (department) to establish a public awareness campaign (campaign) to assist the public in understanding the health dangers of mold and the importance of removing mold from indoor environments.

The department is directed to establish the campaign, and the state board of health is directed to adopt rules governing the campaign. As part of the campaign, the department is required to:

• Inform the public on the health dangers of mold;
• Provide the public with contact information for organizations or government agencies that can provide further information relating to the health effects of mold, mold testing methods, or accredited industry standards for mold remediation; and
• Every 5 years, perform a review of the technology or treatment techniques for mold identification and remediation that protect public health and safety.

Section 1 also requires the executive director of the department to issue a registration to a person that provides mold remediation or assessment services in the state if the person applies for registration and provides evidence of an active third-party remediation or assessment certification, as well as evidence of financial responsibility. The executive director is required to maintain on the department's website a public database of all persons that have been issued a registration. Sections 2 and 3 require a contract to sell residential real property to contain, and a landlord of residential real property to provide to prospective tenants, in writing:

• A warning statement about the health dangers of mold;
• Any knowledge the seller or landlord has of the residential real property's mold concentrations and history, including assessments performed, reports written, and mitigation or remediation conducted; and
• The most recent brochure published by the department that provides information about the health dangers of mold in indoor environments.
  (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)