**BREAKING**: Bipartisan Contaminated Drywall Legislation Passes House of Representatives
Sep 19, 2012
Press Release
Caucus Efforts
The bi-partisan Contaminated Drywall Caucus has been working since the beginning of this Congress to address the issues facing victims of defective Chinese drywall and to prevent other Americans from falling victim to this faulty project. A timeline of the Caucus's efforts is below.
Contaminated Drywall Caucus Efforts - Timeline
**BREAKING** - September 2012 - House passes HR 4212, the Drywall Safety Act, bipartisan legislation that:
1. Expresses a Sense of Congress that the Chinese manufacturers need to come to the table and make restitution to the victims.
2. Institutes a labeling requirement so that all drywall can be traced to the manufacturer.
3. Sets chemical standards to limit the amount of sulfur that can be present in drywall
§ This allows CPSC to control drywall imports without running afoul of WTO/GATT
4. Requires CPSC to update their remediation guidelines to deal with the disposal of contaminated drywall
§ This allows CPSC to prevent problem drywall from being recycled without having to go through the lengthy agency rulemaking process.
Historical actions
September 2012 – **BREAKING** House passes bipartisan legislation to prevent further victims of Contaminated Drywall.
June/July /August 2012 – Caucus leadership continues to push drywall legislation through appropriate committees and necessary approval processes in an effort to bring it to the floor.
May 2012 – Caucus sends letter to House Energy & Commerce asking for the committee to act on the bill.
April 2012 – Caucus sends letter to Virginia and Florida Senators asking them to introduce a companion bill in the Senate.
March 2012 – Caucus sends letter to full House of Representatives asking for support of new legislation.
March 2012 – Caucus holds press conference to announce legislation that will protect Americans from contaminated drywall and hold China accountable.
March 2012 – Caucus leadership meet with Ambassador Zhang at the Embassy of China to discuss China’s role in making victims whole.
February 2012 – Caucus sends letter to the President asking him to discuss with China’s Vice President during his state visit that month.
January 2012 – Court issues preliminary approval of Knauf settlement agreement. Caucus continues efforts to draft legislation to prevent additional victims of contaminated drywall.
November 2011 – Caucus Leadership requests meeting with Chinese Ambassador.
November 2011 – Contaminated Drywall Caucus meets with members of the financial industry to find ways lending institutions and credit reporting agencies can help mitigate the financial damage suffered by owners of homes with toxic Chinese-manufactured drywall. Also discuss pending legislation, recent actions by the Chinese, next steps.
October 2011 – Caucus staff attends U.S. – China Product Safety Summit at State Dept and questions Chinese officials on their refusal to hold manufacturers accountable.
October 2011 – Caucus requests meeting with Financial Services Committee to review the extent of Congressional oversight of the credit rating agencies and meeting with House Foreign Affairs Committee to review legislative/international law options for holding Chinese manufacturers available.
October 2011 – Caucus contacts White House to ask the President to engage with the Drywall Caucus on this issue.
September 2011 – Caucus Members speak from House floor about Rep. Deutch's Contaminated Drywall Amendment.
July 2011 – Contaminated Drywall Caucus sends letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk requesting that he provide a summary of his actions to date and future plan of action for CDW.
July 2011 – Caucus gathers support to pass Chinese Drywall Amendment in the Foreign Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee.
June 2011 – Caucus receives official reply from Financial Services Committee stating Chairman Bacchus deems this not to be a Financial Services issue and forwarded the request to Energy & Commerce requesting they hold a hearing.
June 2011 – Caucus members continue to conduct individual meetings with local constituents affected by Contaminated Drywall.
May 2011 – Contaminated Drywall Caucus presses Financial Services and Energy & Commerce Committees for hearings. Caucus leadership meets to discuss path forward.
April 2011 – Contaminated Drywall Caucus holds first full meeting at the Capitol to discuss goals, priorities, potential legislative action.
March 2011 – Caucus staff conducts meetings with homeowners and other interested parties affected by drywall and working on the issue.
February 2011 - Caucus Leadership receives briefing from Center for Disease Control (CDC) officials regarding drywall related health concerns.
January 2011 – Rigell and Deutch Renewed the CDW caucus which expired at the end of the 111th Congress. Caucus leadership sends a letter to every Member of Congress inviting them to join the Caucus.