U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch Proudly Serving Florida's 21st District

Washington, DC, Jan 1 - This evening, Congress passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA) to address the plight of homeowners suffering from contaminated drywall from China in their homes. The Drywall Safety Act, now headed to President Obama’s desk for signature, is the first piece of legislation to pass Congress since reports of the destructive, sulfur-ridden material began to surface in Florida in 2009. The legislation aims to pressure the Chinese government to submit manufacturers of this tainted drywall to the jurisdiction of the U.S. court system and establish new safeguards to prevent this kind of contaminated material from making its way into the homes of American families. Thousands of homeowners in Florida and thirty-eight other states have been victims of Chinese drywall that corrodes copper piping and wiring in homes, destroys household appliances, and is associated with an array of serious health problems.
 
“Addressing the contaminated Chinese drywall that has ruined the homes of so many South Florida families has been a priority of mine since first arriving in Congress in April of 2010,” said Congressman Deutch. “That the Drywall Safety Act is now headed to the President’s desk for signature is a testament to bipartisan collaboration and compromise, which has all too often eluded the 112th Congress but is essential to getting things done.  I am grateful to my colleague, Congressman Scott Rigell, for working closely with me to see this legislation through to rectify some of the damage done to homeowners across America whose home values have been ruined and health put at risk by this sulfur-ridden drywall and to keep contaminated drywall out of American homes in the future.”

Click here for a section-by-section summary of the Drywall Safety Act.