HB2746, the Fix Moldy Housing Act, would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to work with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study when indoor mold assessment and remediation are warranted and how mold should be assessed and remediated safely. The EPA would then be required, within two years, to issue nonbinding national standards identifying mold levels that should trigger assessment and remediation and setting out safe assessment and cleanup practices.
The bill also creates a federal assistance program for state and Tribal governments. Under that program, EPA would provide grants, technical assistance, and training to help governments establish licensing programs for mold assessors and remediators, with priority for areas especially vulnerable to indoor mold due to humidity or other conditions. A separate grant program would help pay for mold assessment and remediation in public buildings, schools, housing, and private residences, and could also cover temporary housing and moving costs for severely affected households that lack insurance and sufficient resources.
The bill would not directly impose binding federal mold rules, but it would shape state and Tribal mold policy by encouraging the adoption of licensing programs and by creating EPA-issued national standards for assessment and remediation. It authorizes $50 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the state/Tribal assistance program and another $50 million annually for the remediation grant program, with federal funding capped at 60 percent of project costs. It would also prioritize low-income households and communities, while excluding use of grant funds for high-income housing, and would affect public buildings, schools, housing providers, landlords, homeowners, and mold remediation professionals.
Based on the available record, the bill appears to have a generally supportive policy framing, focused on public health, housing quality, and assistance to states and Tribes. There are no recorded votes or committee debate excerpts in the provided materials, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment beyond the bill’s introduction and referral. The structure of the bill suggests an emphasis on technical standards, training, and targeted aid rather than punitive regulation.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Potential areas of debate implied by the text include the federal role in setting mold standards, the requirement that grant recipients establish licensing programs, the exclusion of high-income housing from grant-funded remediation, and the allocation of federal funds between public buildings and private residences. Stakeholders likely to care include state and Tribal governments, EPA, housing agencies, landlords, homeowners, tenants, schools, and mold remediation contractors.