MOLD Act
Sponsored By: Senator Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced
Summary
Create uniform health and safety standards to prevent mold and other environmental hazards in privatized military family housing. The MOLD Act would require independent inspections, public reporting, certified remediation practices, tenant complaint tools, and make housing providers financially responsible for fixes and relocations.
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- Military families would get a 24/7 hotline and website to report humidity, water damage, or other hazards, and tenants must receive inspection results within 10 days. Providers would be responsible for relocation costs, property loss, and refunding Basic Allowance for Housing when units are uninhabitable.
- Privatized housing companies would have to accept enforceable environmental clauses and pay for third-party inspections, maintenance, mold remediation, and tenant relocations. Mold assessors, remediators, and maintenance staff would need recognized certifications and must follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 remediation standard.
- The Department of Defense would require third-party inspections at turnover, on complaint, and after repairs and keep standardized pass/fail records for each unit. The Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment would collect quarterly data, publish annual public reports, and the Secretary must issue initial guidance within 180 days and final standards within one year.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Privatized housing pays cleanup costs
This bill would require privatized military housing providers to pay for independent inspections, maintenance, and mold remediation. Providers would also have to pay all relocation costs when families must leave uninhabitable units, replace or pay for lost personal property, and refund any Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) paid for those units. The Secretary must issue guidance and notify providers within 180 days. DoD could audit or suspend housing-related bonuses for systemic failures to comply.
Independent unit inspections and fixes
This bill would require independent, certified third-party environmental inspections of privatized units at tenant turnover, after tenant complaints, and after remediation or repairs. Inspectors would check HVAC, plumbing, structure, water intrusion, mold, and contractor work orders and record a standardized pass or fail. If a unit fails such an inspection, tenants who request relocation would be remediated or moved within 30 days of the failed inspection.
DoD housing oversight and reports
This bill would make the Assistant Secretary for Energy, Installations, and Environment the Chief Housing Officer to collect standardized quarterly housing reports from installations. The Chief Housing Officer would send quarterly and annual reports to the Armed Services Committees, keep raw data for at least five years, and provide briefings on trends and contractor performance. DoD would also have to publish an annual public report, starting within one year, with installation-level data on mold complaints, inspection results, remediation costs, and relocations.
24/7 tenant hotline and quick replies
This bill would add a 24/7 tenant complaint hotline and public website for reporting humidity, water damage, mold, and other hazards. Housing offices would have to acknowledge complaints within five business days, track resolution, and give tenants written confirmation of inspection findings and actions taken. The public site would show complaints by installation with personal information redacted.
New air, moisture, and cleanup rules
This bill would define covered military family housing and set indoor air and moisture rules. DoD must issue interim guidance within 180 days and final standards within one year, including acceptable indoor relative humidity (less than 50%), ventilation and moisture controls, and testing methods with lab analysis. The bill would require mold remediation follow the ANSI/IICRC S520 standard and that maintenance and remediation staff hold current certifications from recognized nonprofit certifiers.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
CT • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]
GA • D
Sponsored 3/23/2026
Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
NV • D
Sponsored 3/23/2026
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
NY • D
Sponsored 3/23/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov