Lawmakers take on an issue that has people scratching heads and everything else.
New York’s bed bugs made national news when they infested Times Square hotels and Broadway, but Connecticut is not immune from the pests and lawmakers on Tuesday are working on squashing the bed bug problem.
Bed bugs often hide in tufts, seams and folds of mattresses and then spread to crevices of bed stands and beyond, according to the Ohio State University, and officials want to ensure that mattresses in the state are free and clear of them.
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 remanufacture 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 bill would also require the state Department of Public Health to develop standards for disposing mattresses or furniture exposed to bed bugs and require the state 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.
