It’s Time to Add Style to Hygiene

Yesterday, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (Democrat-Connecticut) and Tim Sheehy (Republican-Montana) and U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (Democrat-California), Gus Bilirakis (Republican-Florida), and James Moylan (Republican-Guam) introduced the Military Occupancy Living Defense (MOLD) Act to strengthen protections for military families living in privatized housing. U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (Republican-Iowa) and Mazie Hirono (Democrat-Hawaii) were the original cosponsors. An estimated 700,000 servicemembers and their families are affected by hazardous conditions in military-provided housing, including prolonged mold exposure, which is associated with elevated risks of respiratory illnesses, neurological symptoms, developmental delays in children, and other severe health effects. The MOLD Act addresses these conditions by setting enforceable health and safety standards, mandating independent inspections, and requiring transparency in reporting habitability issues such as water damage, humidity, and mold. Among its key provisions, the legislation would require the Secretary of Defense to ensure that all maintenance personnel, contracted mold assessors, indoor environmental professionals, and mold remediation professionals working in military housing possess and maintain independent, third-party certifications, including the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification’s (IICRC) Applied Microbial Remediation Technician and Mold Remediation Specialist certifications. In addition, the bill mandates that all mold remediation activities conducted in covered military housing comply with the ANSI/IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation, the nationally recognized consensus standard that defines the industry standard of care for mold remediation projects. “The MOLD Act will require strict health and safety standards, independent inspections, and financial accountability for contractors,” Blumenthal said. “This bipartisan, bicameral reform deserves quick passage so servicemembers and their families have a safe place to call home.” “The MOLD Act will help ensure that privatized military housing is up to standard with frequent inspections, proper repairs and renditions, and better response times by landlords,” Panetta said. “This legislation is our way to ensure that military readiness starts at home.” The MOLD Act is endorsed by Change the Air Foundation, Blue Star Families, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), Safe Military Housing Initiative, Military Housing Coalition, National Military Families Association, IICRC, and the National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI). The IICRC plans to continue working on Capitol Hill to serve as a technical resource to policymakers and stakeholders as the MOLD Act advances through the legislative process. “This legislation shows that IICRC’s advocacy work and strategic alliances with other stakeholders is paying off,” said Robbie Bradshaw, IICRC director of government relations. “We’ve spent more than five years engaging with Members of Congress to move legislation like this forward.”

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It’s Time to Add Style to Hygiene

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