Connecticut lawmakers are proposing a number of bills aimed at controlling the spread of bed bugs in Connecticut.

According to NBC Connecticut,

• One bill up for consideration would require that rental furniture be inspected and certified that it is free of bed bugs.
• Another bill would require people who re-manufacture mattresses to include proof that the mattress have been inspected to ensure they too are bed bug free.
• The other bill focuses on landlords and would require them to inform tenants if bed bugs have been present in a rented unit within a year and to make ‘reasonable efforts’ to eliminate bed bugs once the landlords are aware of their presence and for tenants to cooperate in efforts to eliminate bed bugs.
  
  
  The proposed bed bug bills are:
  

• Proposed Bill No. 5874;  AN ACT CONCERNING BED BUGS AND RENTAL FURNITURE.   To ensure that rental furniture is inspected for bed bugs and certified as being bed bug free prior to rental.

• Proposed Bill No. 5858 - AN ACT CONCERNING BED BUGS AND RE-MANUFACTURED MATTRESSES.  To require individuals who re-manufacture mattresses to provide proof that such mattress have been inspected to ensure they are bed bug free.
  
  
• Proposed Bill No. 540 – AN ACT CONCERNING BED BUGS.  To protect the public by developing strategies to combat the spread of bed bugs.

This bill proposes a variety of possible measures including:

(1) Requiring landlords to inform tenants bed bugs have been present in a rented unit within the last year, (2) requiring landlords to make reasonable efforts to eliminate bed bugs once the landlords are aware of their presence, (3) requiring tenants to cooperate in efforts to eliminate bed bugs, (4) requiring the Department of Public Health to develop standards for the disposal of mattresses or furniture exposed to bed bugs, and (5) requiring the Department of Public Health to develop an educational campaign to inform people of the steps that can be taken to avoid and remedy bed bug infestations.

The status of proposed bill 540, proposed by Sen. Len Fasano, is that it was referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health on 1/21.

Both of the other bills, proposed by Rep. Andres Ayala (5748 and 5858), were scheduled to be considered in a public hearing today (2/22/2011). You can find out more about the hearing here (scroll down to General Law Committee, Tuesday, February 22, 2011).