New York vs Bed Bugs » Legislation

S2774

Renee Corea — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:54:51 +0000

This is a different state bill in New Jersey that would create a warranty:

Every commercial pesticide applicator, licensed pursuant to the “Pesticide Control Act of 1971,” P.L.1971, c.176 (C.13:1F-1 et seq.) and the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, who shall be contracted by the owner or tenant of a residential real property to eliminate the presence of bedbugs through extermination by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping, or by any other recognized and lawful pest-elimination methods, shall provide to the owner or tenant, as appropriate, a warranty that guarantees to the contracting party cost-free, repeated applications of pest-elimination methods for the infestation of bedbugs within the residential real property if the owner or tenant determines that the real property is still infested by bedbugs within 30 days of the completion of the extermination process performed by that commercial pesticide applicator.

So that ought to be interesting.

The most impressive bed bug treatment warranty that I’ve seen ever? American Pest Control’s in Maryland. It’s almost like a dare.

I’m not sure what to say about eradication guarantees that isn’t already obvious. They’d be nice? My guess is “reintroduction” (tumbling reflexively out of the PMP’s mouth) and “treatment failure” (ditto for the resident) are words long past redeeming. It’s a pity because failure is a useful word.

By the way, a good tool to search the web for stuff like this—bills, fact sheets, minutes, whatever—in one efficient sweep is Uncle Sam. You’re better off searching at the possible source sites most times, but it’s nice and fast and a good way to discover things you didn’t know you were looking for. Bed bugs!

Ending the 30-day trial risk plus remembering the essential mattress problem

Renee Corea — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:04:00 +0000

S04071 (Monserrate) and A07691 would eliminate the exception whereby bedding returned within a 30-day customer trial period can still be sold as new. Who invented the 30-day mattress comfort trial, anyway?

The bill would also require manufacturers and renovators to disclose the sanitization methods they employ, would prohibit the storage and transport of unsanitized used bedding with new bedding and would provide for damages and recovery of the cost of the mattress, the cost of sanitizing the mattress and related medical expenses.

Another bill, A07157 (Robinson) in the Assembly and S04052 in the Senate, would require all used mattresses be disposed of in an enclosed container.

I think these bills are good. The 30-day trial exception in particular has to go in the age of bed bugs. However, the essential component of any useful policy here has to be the state’s sanitization standards. I now realize that we have not returned to the subject of mattresses in a long while. At the NYC Council hearing in February a city official said that the comment period had ended but that the Department of State was proceeding with additional revisions to the proposed regulations; however, there is no change to the draft posted online. I will finalize our comments based on this draft shortly then. Basically, we categorically object to any proposal that would allow the sanitization of used bedding with spray disinfectants or pesticides of the kind currently labeled for use on mattresses. Secondly, we think that the current draft conflates the idea of encasement as we know it, that is to say, a control tool (not a prophylactic) during an active infestation, with the idea of a barrier. This would be inappropriate in our view. More soon I hope.

The new Butterfield bill

Renee Corea — Thu, 07 May 2009 13:01:34 +0000

Jessica has an early post about the reintroduced Butterfield bill. The text of the bill is now online.

This bill was mishandled when it was first introduced last year.

So, you tell us what you think of the Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009.

Please.

There are some NYS Assembly bills we should talk about too.

NYC’s Bed Bug Advisory Board: the Mayor’s press release

Renee Corea — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:39:27 +0000

The Mayor signed Int. 57-A yesterday. This is the press release:

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH A BED BUG ADVISORY BOARD

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

“The third bill before me is Introductory Number 57-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Brewer, Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Sanders, Weprin, White, Koppell, Liu, Recchia, Sears, Vallone, Garodnick, Jackson, Avella, Arroyo, Dickens, Mealy, Lappin, Stewart, Rivera, and Gennaro. Introductory Number 57-A establishes a Bed Bug Advisory Board.

“Bed bugs are small insects that often hide in cracks in furniture, floors, or walls and are usually active at night. The physical impact to those living with bed bugs may start with painless bites which can later turn in to large, itchy welts. These bites are a great nuisance and can have a negative impact on the quality of life of New Yorkers.

“Bed bugs have resurfaced in New York City in recent years and we are not alone. Urban centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe are experiencing a resurgence in bed bugs. In response, we have instituted a multi-pronged approach to address the issue which includes: prevention through public education, creation of guidelines and protocols for residents, health care providers, businesses, and pest management professionals, and a systematic response to bed bug complaints.

“Despite all of our efforts, there is currently inadequate data to understand the full extent of the bed bug problem in the City. The creation of the Bed Bug Advisory Board, comprised of experts in the pest management, entomology, and public health fields and representatives from the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs, Sanitation, Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Housing Preservation and Development will examine the bed bug problem in further detail, systematically evaluate, study, identify and develop appropriate strategies to control and eradicate the bed bug problem in the City. The Advisory Board will report back their findings to the Mayor and the Speaker within nine months of their appointment.

“I would like to thank the commissioners and staff of the Departments of Health & Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs, Sanitation, Information, Technology & Telecommunications and Housing Preservation & Development for their work in this bill. I would also like to thank the Council for approving this legislation.”

Mayor will sign bed bug advisory board bill on March 18

Renee Corea — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 21:07:39 +0000

So, this is really happening.

Mayor Bloomberg will sign New York City’s bed bug advisory board legislation on Wednesday, March 18, at 3:30 p.m. in the press briefing room, the Blue Room, at City Hall.

The public can attend and offer brief comments.

Our heartfelt thanks to Council Member Gale Brewer who introduced this bill in 2005 and to the Speaker for putting this issue on the agenda. This is the New York City Council voting record on the bill, for the sake of completeness.

We will now get to work on the small matter of our hopes and expectations, now that this is really, truly happening.

A bed bug advisory board for New York City

Renee Corea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:53:24 +0000

Dear friends, we share the following announcement from Council Member Gale Brewer, and we do so not without some feeling. So, our discussion of our thoughts and hopes for the advisory board will come later. For now, some modest celebrating is in order. Enjoy.

Dear New Yorker:

Thank you for your advocacy on the creation of a bed bug task force. Because I share that goal, I introduced Intro 57-2006 which prohibits the sale of reconditioned mattresses and calls for the formation of a bed bug task force.

On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, the Council Committees on Health, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation held a public hearing on Introductions 57-2006, 872-2008 and 873-2008. Entomologists, exterminators, health care professionals, advocates and members of the public offered testimony for 5 hours in Council Chambers. Representatives from the following NYC Departments: Health and Mental Hygiene, Housing Preservation and Development, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation all testified in support of the creation of a Bed Bug task force.

I am pleased to announce that the Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs is scheduled to vote on Intro 57A-2006, which creates a Bed Bug Advisory Board, on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 10am in the Committee Room of City Hall. The text of the final bill is below. The measure is expected to pass and it will then be voted on the same day by the full Council at the Stated Council Meeting, which is scheduled to start at 1pm in the Council Chambers. All members of the public are invited to attend, although there will be no opportunity to offer testimony during either meeting.

After the Council approves the bill (which it is fully expected to do!), the Mayor has 30 days to sign it into law. We will share the bill signing information with you as soon as it available as you are all invited to attend.

We still have a long way to go in addressing bed bugs in our City, but thank you for your tireless efforts in getting us to this important milestone.

Sincerely,

Gale A. Brewer

City Council, District 6: Manhattan

Int. No. 57-A

By Council Members Brewer, The Speaker (Council Member Quinn), Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Sanders Jr., Weprin, White Jr., Koppell, Liu, Recchia Jr., Sears, Vallone Jr., Garodnick, Jackson, Avella, Arroyo, Dickens, Mealy and Lappin

..Title

A Local Law in relation to the creation of a Bed Bug Advisory Board.

..Body

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. Sometimes referred to as “red coats,” “chinches,” or “mahogany flats,” bed bugs, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, are blood-feeding parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals. Bed bugs are wingless and spread from infested to non-infested areas through the transportation of clothing, luggage, furniture and bedding. In the early stages of infestation, bed bugs are found mainly in the tufts, seems and folds of the mattress and bed covers. However, they later spread to cracks and crevices in the bedsteads.

According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”), bed bugs often seek refuge in bedding during the day and feed on occupants at night. Bed bugs feed primarily on humans by piercing the skin as people sleep. Although bed bugs are not generally considered human disease carriers, they inject a fluid to assist in drawing blood, which causes a welt that becomes irritated, inflamed and uncomfortable. After feeding, bed bugs crawl back into hiding, where they may remain for 80 to 140 days before returning to feed.

Bed bug infestations diminished substantially after the development and use of modern insecticides, such as DDT. However, pest management professionals have noticed a marked increase in bed-bug related complaints since 1995. Experts believe this may be related to the increased number of people traveling and returning from abroad with these insects hiding in their suitcases and clothing.

According to the DOHMH, the use of appropriate pesticides and the thorough cleaning of all bedding with water at extremely high temperature may help reduce the chance of infestation. However, even with professional extermination, a bed bug problem may be impossible to eliminate. If even one adult female bed bug survives, the area may quickly become infested again as the adult female lays one to five eggs every day and each egg takes only 17 to 28 days to hatch.

The Council finds that the Cimex lectularius population is ubiquitous and affects the quality of life of residents throughout the City. Based on this finding, the Council determines that it is necessary to create an advisory board to study this issue further and draft concrete recommendations for the most effective methods for treating and preventing bed bug infestations in New York City.

§2. Bed Bug Advisory Board. a. There shall be an advisory board to study health concerns associated with cimex lectularius, commonly referred to as the bed bug, and to make specific recommendations to the mayor and council for the prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations throughout the city.

b. Such advisory board shall consist of ten members as follows:

i. Three members shall be appointed by the mayor, provided that at least one such member shall be from the pest management industry and shall have experience in bed bug control and/or extermination and at least one member shall have advanced specialized training in and knowledge of entomology;

ii. Two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the council, provided that at least one such member shall have a background in community health;

iii. The commissioners of the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of consumer affairs, the department of sanitation, the department of information technology and telecommunications, and the department of housing and preservation, or the designees of such commissioners, shall serve ex officio.

iv. At its first meeting, the advisory board shall select a chairperson from among its members by majority vote of the advisory board.

c. Each member, other than members serving in an ex officio capacity, shall serve for a term of 9 months, to commence after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Any vacancies in the membership of the advisory board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person filling such vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term of the succeeded member.

d. No member of the advisory board shall be removed from office except for cause and upon notice and hearing by the appropriate appointing official.

e. Members of the advisory board shall serve without compensation and shall meet as necessary.

f. The advisory board shall issue a report to the mayor and council no later than nine months after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Such report shall include specific recommendations on the following topics:

i. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in private dwellings;

ii. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in public accommodations and institutions, including, but not limited to, schools, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, jails and residential shelters;

iii. Tracking and reporting of bed bug infestations;

iv. Disposal of bed bug infested items;

v. Bed bug training and/or education for urban pest management professionals;

vi. Bed bug training and/or education for city workers;

vii. The development and most effective distribution of public education and resource materials on bed bug prevention and treatment, including, but not limited to, information on the rights and responsibilities of landlords, tenants and homeowners.

g. The advisory board shall terminate upon the publication of the report.

§3. This local law shall take effect immediately.

The New Jersey Assembly bed bug bill

Renee Corea — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 07:32:22 +0000

We mentioned the New Jersey Assembly bill, A3203, briefly in December and now that it has moved to the Senate—see the sponsors’ press release (PDF)—we should take a look at the language of the bill as amended. The bill in the Senate is S2257.

This is the final version reported out of committee on January 15 and passed by the Assembly.

‘Exponential infestations’ somewhere became ‘the presence of bedbugs in exponential numbers’ and ‘presence’ is now used instead of infestation almost throughout.

Co-ops and condos are excluded; “owners” includes owners of “seasonal use” rental units.

One of the statements of fact was amended as follows:

The owner of a multiple dwelling, with the cooperation of tenants, is in the best position to coordinate the extermination of bedbug populations in that multiple dwelling.

It’s a very good statement.

A bed bug pamphlet

The Department of Health and Senior Services is to develop a bed bug education pamphlet that will include information on how bed bugs spread, prevention and treatment, the state’s guidelines for “disinfecting, labeling and reselling mattresses,” tenant behaviors that are risk factors for “attracting and supporting the presence of bedbugs,” and a statement on landlord/tenant rights and responsibilities.

The bill’s language on this last point is:

A statement describing the legal rights and responsibilities imposed on tenants and owners of multiple dwellings by this act, including, but not limited to the owner’s duty to keep the premises free of the presence of bedbugs, a tenant’s duty to notify the owner of the presence of bedbugs, and the potential financial liability of a tenant for repeated eradications caused by either a failure to properly maintain the unit or for interfering with the owner’s access to the unit for inspection or eradication purposes.

The bill does not define what constitutes failure to properly maintain the unit, but perhaps there is already other law that addresses this?

Within 90 days of the publication of this pamphlet, all multiple dwelling owners are to deliver copies to their tenants.

I have two problems with the pamphlet as envisioned here.

This is the definition of the risk factors that tenants are to be warned about:

“Risk factors” means tenant behaviors that increase the possibility of the presence of bedbugs in a unit and include, but are not limited to, living with a domestic pet, furnishing with older furniture that has not been properly sanitized, and travel to tropical climates without proper precautions.

Travel to tropical climates without precautions? Really, why is this being perpetuated? If I were making a list, I’d find room for riding the bus in Manhattan. Or traveling to Canada. And while we’re at it, turtles are domestic pets…

The second problem?

New Jersey’s guidelines for disinfecting mattresses are just sad. Including them in the contemplated bed bug information pamphlet conveys no benefit of effective warning.

Notices to tenant

There are three specific warnings to tenants in the pamphlet:

“If you notice or suspect the presence of bedbugs in your unit, you are required by law to promptly notify the owner or manager of your unit. You may be responsible for the costs of exterminating bedbugs if you do not notify your owner or manager.”

and

“Upon reasonable notice, you must grant the owner of your apartment access to the apartment for purposes of an inspection for or the eradication of the presence of bedbugs. This inspection may include a visual inspection and manual inspection of your personal belongings, limited to bedding or furniture. If bedbugs are found in the unit, additional access and measures may be required. If you do not grant your landlord access for purposes of an inspection for or the eradication of the presence of bedbugs or if you obstruct access for purposes of visual inspection, your landlord may not be responsible for any costs and damages relating to and arising from bedbugs in your unit. You may also be responsible for the costs of repeated eradication of bedbugs if you fail to properly maintain your dwelling.”

[Amendment notations removed.]

The third tenant warning is notice that the presence of bed bugs will be deemed damages to the apartment upon moving out and eradication costs can be deducted from security deposits.

Owner’s responsibilities

The owner will be responsible for maintaining a multiple dwelling free of bed bugs. (A multiple dwelling under NJ law (PDF) is a building of 3 or more rental units—or a group of ten or more buildings of 2 units each.)

Any tenant who notices bed bugs or suspects bed bugs based on “characteristic bite marks” must notify the owner in writing.

The owner must begin eradication procedures within 10 days. The owner must also ascertain (this really should mean inspect… but it doesn’t say inspect?) whether there are bed bugs in other units. In the original bill, if infestation were found in two or more units or in common areas, the owner would have been required to provide written warning to all tenants in the building. In the amended version, the owner must provide written notice to the tenants in the infested apartments (and only to those tenants) and eradicate the infestation in those apartments.

It’s not clear what the landlord is meant to do to find out if there are bed bugs in other units. The bill says the landlord must

ascertain the presence of bedbugs in other dwelling units or common areas

If this means inspect, then it should say inspect or cause to be inspected. Asking the tenants whether they have bed bugs in their apartments would, obviously, not suffice. Also, all units?

The landlord must provide 48 hours written notice to the tenant in order to gain access to inspect or eradicate bed bugs. The tenant’s liability upon refusal is described in the notices to tenant quoted above.

If the landlord does not act within ten days, the tenant can notify the local health board and the health board will inspect and engage a pest management company and then bill or recover from the landlord.

Owners would be required to include a provision in leases certifying that they have inspected the apartment for bed bugs. Inspections would be required at every lease renewal and new lease signing.

Highs and lows, Part 2

Renee Corea — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:12:45 +0000

Part 1 is here. And don’t forget the rats!

So, now some of the highs:

Meet and Greet

It was so gratifying to say hello to the people who came to the hearing. To you! I am so thankful that people said hi and that we shook hands. Yes, we won’t mention names, but you are all awesome.

The great Lou Sorkin was in the house, of course. I sat next to New York vs Bed Bugs adviser Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann (we’d never met!) and Tim Wong of M&M Environmental. (I just met Mr. Wong that afternoon but will be forever grateful to him because when asked by one of the chairs if he supported the bills, he said yes, he did, all three of them, and it was a matter of how they would be implemented.) I only realized later that there were two representatives from WE ACT sitting next to us and I’m so sorry that I did not get to talk to them, as it was encouraging that they were there, since there were not many non-profits appearing; indeed, I think only WE ACT and Little Sisters attended. Ray Lopez was there for the whole afternoon and we testified on the same panel. I met Rick Cooper and Gil Bloom for the first time. Mr. Cooper and Mr. Bloom did not support all three bills but we are nevertheless deeply grateful for their interest in our city’s bed bug problems and their generosity in appearing before the City Council. And John Furman, aka KillerQueen, was there for most of the long afternoon. And I am so grateful that Nobugs was there too, somewhere in the audience.

Okay, that’s it for the name-dropping.

The Speaker

The Speaker said:

This is not a problem that we’re not equipped to solve.

and

I look forward to moving as quickly as possible on this legislation.

That’s what she said!

Council Member Gale Brewer

To Dr. Bobby Corrigan:

Come on, Bobby, you do the rat thing? Why can’t we do the bed bug thing?

Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Leroy Comrie

Do you agree on the concept of the task force? Who would be on the task force? How much time do you really need to come back with policies and practices? It’s an epidemic. I would hope the administration would embrace the idea of moving fast.

A bed bug task force is what we need!

We’ll have to wait for the transcript to get all the instances but I can attest to the mood in the audience when the administration witnesses all responded to even the slightest difficult question to the effect of: that would be a focus for the task force, and we support the idea of a task force, and a bed bug task force is what we need and have been waiting for all our lives. I’m only slightly, very slightly exaggerating, I promise! It was funny, but it was also a relief, and then a slight worry (why are they so in favor of a task force now?!? what do they know that we don’t?). But mostly it was good. You had to be there.

I’m not entirely sure why they’re on board now, and in such spectacular unanimity, you almost don’t want to ask too many questions and just take it and be grateful. I think it’s just the weight of accumulated evidence that all is not right in our city and something must be done about the bed bugs. And of the three bills, it’s the one that costs them nothing up front. But a task force is not a dilatory mechanism. A task force should be a working task force and it must hit the ground running. Really, there is no time.

That’s all I have for now; next we’ll probably look at some of the more problematic exchanges, serious work I’m not particularly looking forward to. I still can’t believe the amount of work that must be done in educating everyone about bed bugs. It’s a little discouraging, but we’ll talk about all that later.

Highs and lows, Part 1

Renee Corea — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:13:44 +0000

A colleague in the group asked me if I really meant to leave our assessment of the New York City Council hearing at great. The hearing was, in fact, great because a) it was evident that the importance of the difficult bed bug situation in our city had already been grasped, and b) there were unmistakable signals that support for some form of legislative action had gained momentum.

But there is no doubt that we had some disappointments as newcomers to our city’s political process. I was not around for the 2006 bed bug hearing so my impressions had been entirely formed by reading the transcript. On Tuesday I was struck by the theatricality of a public hearing and the inherent communication inefficiencies.

So, anyway, a list of some of the disappointments, just to keep things honest.

Hurrying up Lou

The City Council thought Lou was taking too long to read his testimony and proceeded to hurry him up several times. We did not appreciate this. Lou Sorkin has done so much to help the people of this city who are struggling with bed bugs.

This is an excerpt of Lou Sorkin’s testimony:

The proposed legislation concerned with reconditioned mattresses will have a positive affect on reducing bed bug infestation in the city since a primary bed bug reservoir will be dealt with, but much more will have to be done via creation of the Bed Bug Task Force in order to control the spread of this insect in New York City. The Task Force must integrate many disciplines and agencies within the city to tackle the bed bug problem. Cooperation must be mandatory between landlords, managing agents, renters, coop and condo owners, pest management and sanitation personnel not to mention hospitals, nursing and rehabilitation facilities, but also hotel staff and the tourist industry if bed bugs are to be controlled. If people don’t work together the bed bug problem will not go away but will snowball. [...] An integrated pest management strategy must be followed. Intro 57, 872, 873-A and Res 1414 must be passed if bed bug control is going to work in New York City. They can be amended as required. Bed bug education in our city will have to be multifaceted and on a multilingual level to convey the information to everyone.

No questions for Ray?

Ray Lopez of Little Sisters of the Assumption is working on an innovative plan that has some important similarities to Toronto’s successful Bug and Scrub, a social purpose enterprise. I was very much looking forward to his testimony. But there were no questions for Ray. A missed opportunity. We hope that if there is ever a bed bug task force in our city that Ray will be tapped.

Who would buy them?

Andrew Eiler represented the Department of Consumer Affairs at this hearing as he did in 2006.

To a question from Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Leroy Comrie about warning consumers that reconditioned mattresses are potentially infested, Mr. Eiler responded that it would be an overly-broad warning and that, yes, who would buy them?

Exactly. Who would buy mattresses infected with pathogens and harboring bed bugs? Sometimes I just have no words. But I’ll say this, we are hoping for a more compassionate interest in the bed bug problems we face.

Not an important vector

Virtually all the experts acknowledged reconditioned mattresses as a vector but essentially dismissed them as an important vector. This is incorrect in our view. First, we have little knowledge of the actual size of the industry and who the institutional customers are. Improperly sanitized reconditioned mattresses are not just sold to consumers, they are sold to nursing homes, jails, motels, etc. The breadth is unknown and unstudied. Second, everything counts! Everything we can do to reduce the numbers of new infestations is important. Further, improperly sanitized reconditioned mattresses unfairly burden the poor and disadvantaged, those who are least able to afford illness (because of the pathogens!) or access to qualified pest control (because of the bed bugs!)—we cannot continue to shift these costs to those who cannot bear them.

As daunting as it is, we will have to do more research ourselves because we feel this is an important issue that is poorly understood.

The representative of the International Sleep Products Association mentioned mattress recycling and how there is no recycling center in our area. When we looked into this some months ago we found that it’s difficult to make a profitable business out of it, so much so that a successful Canadian company offers free mentoring to anyone who is interested in learning the business. Nevertheless, it is an idea worth exploring.

More to follow, including why the administration witnesses all held to the idea of a bed bug task force like a life saver. A bed bug task force is the newest greatest idea ever, haven’t you heard?

The 18th, 19th and 20th sponsors

Renee Corea — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 16:49:57 +0000

We want to thank Council Members Tony Avella, Maria del Carmen Arroyo and James Vacca for their support of the bed bug legislative proposals that will be the subject of the New York City Council hearing on Tuesday.

Council Member Avella signed on as cosponsor of Intro 57, the original bed bug task force bill, and Intro 873, the bed bug education and hotline bill. Council Member Arroyo signed on to all three bills, Intro 57, Intro 873, and Intro 872, the Sanitation Department bags and stickers bill. Council Member Vacca signed on to Intro 873.

Council Member Vacca and his staff extended great kindness to us in allowing us to make our case in person.

Details and updates on the bills and the hearing as always on this page.