[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 91 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 91

Calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Secretary of the 
 Treasury, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to take 
       action on issues relating to drywall imported from China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 30, 2009

  Mr. Nelson of Florida (for himself and Ms. Landrieu) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Secretary of the 
 Treasury, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to take 
       action on issues relating to drywall imported from China.

Whereas, between 2006 and late 2007, more than 550,000,000 pounds of drywall and 
        associated building materials were imported from China to the United 
        States;
Whereas not less than 300,000,000 pounds of drywall were imported from China to 
        the State of Florida, enough to build approximately 36,000 homes;
Whereas not less than 60,000,000 pounds of drywall were imported from China to 
        the State of Louisiana, enough to build approximately 7,000 homes;
Whereas media reports indicate that drywall imported from China was also used in 
        homes in no fewer than 10 other States, including Georgia, Mississippi, 
        North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia;
Whereas testing by officials of the State of Florida found that drywall imported 
        from China contains potentially hazardous levels of strontium sulfide, 
        which, when exposed to moisture and humidity, can release hydrogen 
        sulfide into the air;
Whereas emissions from drywall imported from China have caused substantial 
        safety hazards in homes containing such drywall, including corrosion in 
        electrical wiring, which can result in a fire hazard, failure of air 
        conditioning units, and the failure of other household electrical 
        products; and
Whereas preliminary testing shows that the drywall may also be responsible for 
        certain health hazards: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the Consumer Product Safety Commission should--
                    (A) initiate a formal proceeding to investigate 
                drywall imported from China during the period from 2004 
                through 2007;
                    (B) prohibit the further importation of drywall and 
                associated building products from China;
                    (C) order a recall of hazardous Chinese drywall; 
                and
                    (D) use its existing authority under the Consumer 
                Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-
                314; 122 Stat. 3016) and the Federal Hazardous 
                Substances Act (15 U.S.C. 1261 et seq.) to seek civil 
                penalties against the drywall manufacturers in China 
                that produced or distributed hazardous drywall and 
                their subsidiaries in the United States to cover the 
                cost of the recall effort and other associated 
                remediation efforts; and
            (2) the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of 
        Housing and Urban Development should--
                    (A) use all available measures, including civil 
                forfeiture authority, to ensure that the costs of 
                homeowner assistance efforts are borne by the drywall 
                manufacturers in China that produced or distributed 
                hazardous drywall and their subsidiaries in the United 
                States and not by the taxpayers of the United States; 
                and
                    (B) develop meaningful Federal tax incentives to 
                help offset the expense of costly drywall repairs for 
                struggling homeowners already suffering from depressed 
                home values and negative economic conditions.
                                 <all>