Chinese Drywall Liability Bill Under Consideration in Louisiana
A Chinese drywall bill currently under consideration in the Louisiana legislature would require the businesses found responsible for the drywall debacle to foot the entire bill for damages sustained by Louisiana homeowners. According to a report on wwltv.com, the Louisiana state legislature is expected to take up the Chinese drywall bill sometime this morning.
Homeowners in at least 18 states have complained that fumes from Chinese-made drywall produce a “rotten eggs” odor and cause metals, such as air conditioning coils, to corrode. The fumes have also been associated with respiratory and sinus problems in some residents. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. imported roughly 309 million square feet of drywall from China during the housing boom from 2004 to 2007. In Louisiana, many homeowners who had to be rebuild following Hurricane Katrina have discovered that the tainted drywall was used in their homes.
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released results of tests it conducted that compared Chinese drywall to American-made material. The tests found sulfur and two organic compounds associated with acrylic paint in the Chinese drywall that were not present in the American wallboard. The agency said more testing is needed to determine if any of the compounds found in the Chinese drywall are responsible for problems reported by homeowners
2 Responses to “Chinese Drywall Liability Bill Under Consideration in Louisiana”
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Here is what has been passed.
Louisiana Legislature directs DHH, the Department of Insurance, and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors to Study the Effects of “defective Chinese Drywall”
By G. Trippe Hawthorne
The Louisiana Legislature has adopted House Concurrent Resolution No. 185, authored by Representative Tim Burns. The resolution urges and requests that the Department of Health and Hospitals and the Deptartment of Insurance, in consultation with the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, investigate the health risks associated with living in homes that contain drywall imported from China, study the potential homeowners insurance coverage issues, including triggers, endorsements, and exclusions to policies that are related to drywall imported from China, and determine whether such material should be identified as a substandard, unsafe building material. The resolution goes on to request a report of the findings and recommendations of this study to the legislature prior to the convening of the 2010 regular session.
http://www.louisianalawblog.com/HCR%20185.pdf
Has the above-referenced bill been passed? Will contractors which utilized, or oversaw sub-contractors which utilized Chinese drywall be held responsible for damages associated with it’s usage? Thank you.