The drywall issues added additional layers of frustration for New Orleans area homeowners who rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, only to face major corrosion and odor problems.
WASHINGTON - The House Sunday afternoon debated a bill designed to prod China to take action to mitigate problems with drywall manufactured at Chinese facilities that contaminated homes in Louisiana and other states. The drywall problems added additional layers of frustration for New Orleans area homeowners who rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina, only to face major corrosion and odor problems because of the defective drywall.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
In some cases, the problems made their rebuild homes uninhabitable.
The drywall measure, offered by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla., passed the Senate last week. The bill is likely to get a House vote on Monday.
If it passes, it will go to President Barack Obama for his expected signature.
When Vitter first introduced his proposal, he said that the defective Chinese drywall caused huge problems for Louisiana residents.
"I want to ensure that folks don't experience the nightmare of building or repairing a home with toxic drywall," Vitter said. "This legislation will make sure unsafe drywall won't be sold in the future and that drywall manufacturers are held accountable."
The bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Commerce Secretary should insist that the government of China, which "has ownership interests in the companies that manufactured and exported problematic drywall," meet with U.S. representatives to help affected homeowners.
In addition, it asks that the Chinese companies comply with U.S. court decisions that directed the firms to compensate homeowners for damages caused by the inferior drywall.
It also requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to complete final rules concerning drywall manufactured or imported for domestic use that require each sheet to be permanently marked with the name of the manufacturer and the month and year of manufacture, and limit sulfur content to a level not associated with elevated rates of corrosion in the home.
The resolution allows exemptions if the commission determines that voluntary standards agreed to by manufacturers are sufficient.
The action came as the House met for a lame duck session called to deal with the fiscal cliff, mandatory tax increases for all working Americans and big cuts in federal spending on January 1 if no deal is approved. There's no resolution yet.
Still at issue at what income level the tax cuts would be allowed to expire. The president has suggested that higher Clinton-era rates go into effect January 1 for families with incomes over $250,000, but signaled last week that he's willing to go as high as $400,000. Some Republicans have suggested that $500,000 is a figure they could accept.
Vitter blamed Democrats for the failure to reach a compromise.
"There's certainly no Senate deal yet," Vitter said Sunday night. "And the biggest reason is that every (Senate Majority Leader Harry) Reid-Obama proposal this weekend raises taxes only to usher in more spending - they don't cut deficit and debt by one penny."