Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro Legislation Requiring the Sanitization of Bedding Passes State Assembly


  
 Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro announced that his legislation A4243A requiring the sanitization of every used mattress or bedding material that is transported, stored or sold with new bedding in New York State has been passed by the state assembly.

Currently, the New York State General Business Law classifies any mattress or bedding material that has been returned by the purchaser within 30 days as new bedding. Legislation A4243A amends the definition of "New Bedding" by automatically classifying it as used bedding after being purchased and returned. This legislation also prohibits the transportation of used bedding with new ones unless they are sanitized or enclosed in non-permeable plastic, polyethylene film or similar materials useful to prevent the passage of contaminants.

In addition, the legislation requires the sanitation of used bedding that are sold or stored with new bedding, in accordance with regulations established by the Department of State. It also requires the Department of State to inspect every place where articles of bedding are made, remade, renovated, prepared or sterilized. The bill gives the Department of State the authority to determine the inspection frequency but requires it to have at least one inspection during any continues three year period.
Over the past years, the State of New York has been negatively affected in many different ways by the spread of bed bug infestation. New York State has the greatest concentration of bed bug reports in the United States. [1] 

According to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, 13,152 bed bug infestation complaints were received in 2009. "Bed bugs infestation is one of the epidemics that can be prevented through this legislation. The first step in fighting bed bugs and other similar epidemics in our state is to educate our citizens on effective preventive methods to control the spread of contaminants," expressed Assemblyman Castro.

The bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support (138-1) and is currently in the Senate Rules Committee, sponsored by Senator Jose Peralta (S358A). If immediate action is not taken, New York residents, business owners and tourists will continue to experience the negative impact of bed bugs and other infestations. "This is an important piece of legislation that will help in the prevention and treatment of critical epidemics throughout the state and will prevent used bedding that has not been properly sanitized from being transported, stored or sold with new bedding," added Assemblyman Castro.

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