H.R. 6068 would establish a grant program to assist States in inspecting hotel rooms for bed bugs.
Detailed Summary
H.R. 6068 would create a grant program in the Department of Commerce and authorize $50,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012 for giving these grants to states.
Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to provide grants to an eligible state to assist the state, if the State has established a program to inspect at least 20% of rooms in lodging facilities in the state, for cimex lectularius, commonly know as the bed bug. Allows a state to use a grant to conduct inspections, train inspection personnel, and educate lodging proprietors and staff about prevention and eradication of bed bugs.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 5/16/2008: Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Points in Favor
Bedbugs are a Serious Problem
This is a really important bill. Bed bugs are spreading fast and anyone who has had them in their homes would tell you they are a nightmare which can take months and thousands of dollars to get rid of. A bedbug bite creates a wheal the size of a half-dollar, is painful, and itches like concentrated poison ivy injected into your body. It's like living with phantom spiders that feed on you. You awaken at 3 am with a flashlight to feverishly inspect your now pure white sheets and obsess about them touching the floor. Every morning you inspect your mattress and every washday you re-inspect your entire bed.
These bugs are truly horrible. The expense , the loss of furniture, the stress and mental anguish, the social stigma . . . all happen to one's life when bedbugs invade a home.
The bedbug's ability to hitchhike via personal items is insidious. They don't just live in sheets or beds. They spread to your books, towels, carpets, wall sockets, and electronics. A bug that causes so much stress and upheaval in one's life must be taken seriously. Ignore this bug and it will wreak havoc on society.
Good housekeeping is not enough to keep bedbugs away. Bed bugs aren't spread through uncleanliness, they spread by proximity and contact with others that have them. Bed bugs are now present in every quarter of public life: schools, workplaces, theaters; even your car. They are more resilient than cockroaches, and much more harmful to humans. And here's the kicker: a home can go from being bug-free to having a serious infestation in about a month-and-a-half.
Many people are running into these bugs at hotels, on planes, etc. and unknowingly bringing them home by no fault of their own. The bugs then infest their homes and often friends and family members as well. It can cost thousands of dollars to eradicate these things, and in multi-unit dwellings, it's often impossible to do so. Bedbugs need to be addressed for the vermin that they are. Their continued spread via the accommodations industry should be taken very seriously.
A study has shown bed bugs are resistant to DDT. It's not the answer.
But some people have not had such bad experiences. New sheets and a steam cleaner to clean the mattress solved the problem for a whopping $15 to rent the cleaner.
Bedbugs are a Public Health Issue
Bed bugs have become a public health issue. In terms of physical health, the bites often create allergic reactions on the skin. This can cause trouble sleeping at night due to the mental health effects of infestation. The lack of sleep affects physical health and work performance.
Because there are not highly effective pesticides and treatments available currently for bed bugs, the best way to stop this from reaching epidemic proportions is to prevent the spread of bugs in the first place.
It's been proven that many home infestations are the result of travel. Inspecting hotels will protect consumers and also protect the tourism industry.
Effects on Commerce
The re-emergence of bed bugs is going to have a major impact on a number of industries, particularly the hospitality and travel industries.
Home owners associations also are affected by this problem. One HOA in Northern VA found bed bugs in 16 of their 25 buildings. In one, all but two condos needed to be treated. Once bed bugs establish themselves, they travel quickly through the walls.
Legislation is Needed
Legislation is in order at the least to try to get hotels etc. to do better inspections and thorough treatments. If you think big business will self-regulate, check out TripAdvisor online and type "bed bugs" on the search — see how many establishments have been reported by travelers. It's shocking.
This legislation is not asking for money to treat bed bugs, but for money to pay State inspectors to look for bed bug infestation.
Since bed bugs were a non-issue 5 years ago, there is no current protocol for dealing with them. Hotels would rather deal with the bugs themselves than get the State involved. This is like having a health inspector inspect kitchens.
Lodging and real estate are some of the slimier businesses in the world. They need governmental oversight because they could care less about their customers given the peculiar nature of their business models.
Bedbugs affects all the states, as they spread from state to state, so it should be federal.
Alternatives and Next Steps
If Congress doesn't afford grants for inspection, they should make it law that hotels, motels, and B&Bs must inspect for bed bugs four times a year. It takes five weeks for an infestation to take root. Inspecting every three months ought to do it.
Congress needs to consider federal legislation to help deal with infestations in residential housing , as well.
The federal government should also set up a centralized reporting agency to track the spread of bed bugs and the result of efforts to control them.
Points Against
Constitutional Issues and Role of Government
There is no constitutional authority for the federal government to address bedbugs. There is also no limit on what it might address if it can address bedbugs.
There are many similar problems that we wouldn’t want solved by the federal government, all the way down to dirty dishes. Every minor annoyance you face in life isn't cause for a federal initiative; the government is not your Mom, your best friend, or your caretaker. We have drifted too far toward a government of entitlement. There are those who seem to want our government to take care of their every want or need all while ignoring Islamic terrorism and the impending collapse of Medicare and Social Security.
It's up to the affected industries (and those of us who utilize their services) to deal with this problem, however "horrible" it is. The role of government is NOT to transfer resources from the general public to special interest groups. And government has a long track record of failing to produce intended results despite the fact that they "invest" much more resources than any private entity would.
Bureaucrats can do no more about this than people and businesses can do themselves. The Nanny State "solution" would be highly inefficient with long queues, like any Nanny State "solution" is, and another drain on the tax payers money.
For any piece of legislation we should ask: First, does this task have to be carried out by government at all? Second, if so, what level of government should carry it out? Here, there is no role for government at all. It is not the state government's job (with funding from the federal government) to protect us from bed bugs. Even if we grant that for some reason only the government can fight bed bugs, why does the Federal government need to involved. States can come up with a one million dollars a piece to take care of this problem. But hotels and homeowners should take care of the problem.
Consumer Pressure / Market Responses / Litigation
Instead of a new federal law and federal spending, we should let other forces control this problem.
Hotel owners need to know that there's a limit to how much cost-cutting they can do. They need to start using detergent and hot water when they wash their sheets. Large hotel chains will lose lots of money when word gets out that their $69.99 rooms don't include full bedbug removal. Hotels with infestations will lose business or be sued.
The government does not need to be the one to track bed bug infestation in hotels. Why not create a bed bug tracking site that allows users to report on hotels that are doing more to control bed bugs or spread the word about repeat offenders? Why not petition an already-existing review site to include a bed bugs category? There are review sites for many restaurants and companies. This is no different.
If you've been to a hotel with a bedbug infestation, I promise there's a huge group of lawyers ready to bring a multi-million dollar tort suit against the hotel on your behalf.
Private residences can pay for extermination just as they do with termites.
Needless Spending
Fifty million dollars per year is far too much to spend while there are real issues beating this economy into the ground. The government has a multi-trillion dollar debt, but it is finding ever more creative ways to spend our money.
Citizens should not be forced to spend 200 million dollars of their money, regardless of whether or not they own or make use of single family residences, HOAs, and hotels.
Visitor Comments
bedbugger
This is a really important bill. Bed bugs are spreading fast and anyone who has had them in their homes would tell you they are a nightmare which can take months and thousands of dollars to get rid of.
http://bedbugger.com
deb
As a single homeowner who experienced a bedbug infestation, I can say that these bugs are truly horrible. The expense , the loss of furniture, the stress and mental anguish, the social stigma...all happen to one's life when bedbugs invade a home.
The bedbug's ability to hitchhike via personal items is insidious. A bug that causes so much stress and upheaval in one's life must be taken seriously. Ignore this bug and it will wreak havoc on society.
Doug Summers MS
The re-emergence of bed bugs is going to have a major impact on a number of industries, particularly the hospitality & travel industries.
We need to take action now!
Please support this bill!
This bill will address one important vector, the hotel industry.
Congress needs to consider federal legislation to to help deal with infestations in residential housing , as well.
Nunca
Have I slipped into an alternate universe?
Marc
I am waiting for dirty dish act of 2008. As a single homeowner who experienced dirty dish infestations, I can say that these dirty dishes are truly horrible. The expense , the loss of clean dishes, the stress and mental anguish, the social stigma...all happen to one's life when dirty dishes invade a home.
The dirty dishes' ability to hitchhike via personal actions is insidious. A chore that causes so much stress and upheaval in one's life must be taken seriously. Ignore dirty dishes and it will wreak havoc on society.
Bedbugger
Mark,
You're lucky that you don't have reason to believe bed bugs exist and are a serious problem. Let's hope you never have the joy of encountering them.
aaron
I see we have no lack of satirists here! But seriously, am I stating the obvious when I say that it's up to the affected industries (and those of us who utilize their services) to deal with this problem, however "horrible" it is? The role of government is NOT to transfer resources from the general public to special interest groups.
fyodor
The bedbug epidemic just hit my home three weeks ago, and it's no joke, it's a bitch!
That said, it's dubious at best whether any government should be involved, much less the feds!
Ian Martins
This isn't really a joke, is it? Oh my. A Federal Government confiscating the property of its citizens to fund a war against... bed bugs. How constitutional.
Walker
Please.
Think of how many millions of dollars Hampton Inn will lose when word gets out that their $69.99 rooms don't include full bedbug removal! And since its parent company, Hilton Hotels Corp., CLEARLY doesn't have the resources to address this problem on its own, there's only one solution.
Washington, DC is responsible for the sanitation of our beds, NOT hotel corporations.
H.R. 6068 has been written by a selfless politician with your children's best interest in mind. Please don't stand in its way.
OnceBitten
As the President of an HOA in Northern VA, I can tell you that we have found bed bugs in 16 of our 25 buildings. In one, all but 2 condos needed to be treated. Once bed bugs establish themselves, they travel quickly through the walls. A bedbug bite creates a wheal the size of a half-dollar, is painful, and itches like concentrated poison ivy injected into your body. It's like living with phantom spiders that feed on you. You awaken at 3 am with a flashlight to feverishly inspect your now pure white sheets and obsess about them touching the floor. Every morning you inspect your mattress and every washday you re-inspect your entire bed.
If Congress doesn't afford grants for inspection, I hope they make it law that hotels, motels, and B&Bs must inspect for bed bugs 4 times a year. It takes 5 weeks for an infestation to take root. Inspecting every 3 months ought to do it.
Simon
Please help pass this bill!! Bedbugs ate my dog, and ravished my mint condition Rainbow Brite action figure set! I've tried fly swatters and yelling, and heck - I even tried Oust! But the critters keep coming at me ... oh, I feel so stigmatized and disenfranchised! Help Congress! Help!
OnceBitten
BTW: I guess it's easy to be a dick to someone online like this, but deb is telling you the unvarnished truth. People think bed bugs are fictional until they have a run-in. I have a friend who stayed in a $500 a night hotel in Key West and was bitten all over and had the misfortune to bring a few home in her suitcase. Getting rid of these bugs is miserable and expensive.
Dan
Just STOP IT ALREADY! I swear if Congress doesn't wake up and stop spending money on frivolous stuff while not addressing the real issues that are beating this economy into the ground, I and a bunch of my engineering friends around the country are going to quit our professions and RUN AGAINST ALL YOU ATTORNEYS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE WHO THINK YOU'RE SO SMART. In 30 years of voting, I've never witnessed a sorrier lot to represent the people of this country. BED BUG CHECKS at $50,000,000 a year. What next? I was always told by Mom bed bugs were the result of unclean linens - tell these hotel owners that there's a limit to how much cost they can take out. They need to start using detergent and hot water when they wash their sheets! Geez. Just give us all a break. It's becoming more and more apparent that you do your best work when you're ON VACATION!
Corey Cagle
For bedbugger, deb, OnceBitten and anyone else who seriously supports this bill, I don't think anyone is doubting the existence of bed bugs. No one is likening this to the Unicorn Preservation Act of 2008.
The question is whether it's the state government's job (with funding from the federal government) to protect us from bed bugs. Why should it be? Let hotels and homeowners take care of the problem. (I know, I know. Being responsible for yourself, just like you were a grown-up, is a scary thought.) If you've been to a hotel with a bedbug infestation, I promise there's a huge group of lawyers ready to bring a multi-million dollar tort suit against the hotel on your behalf.
Shannon Love
For any piece of legislation we should ask x questions: First, does this task have to be carried out by government at all? Second, if so, what level of government should carry it out?
In this case I don't see any role for government at all. Hotels with infestations will lose business or be sued. Private residences can pay for extermination just as they do with termites.
Even if we grant that for some reason only the government can fight bed bugs, why does the Federal government need to involved. Seriously, cannot states come up with a one million dollars a piece to take care of this problem?
Can anyone who supports this bill explain why the government MUST get involved?
Bed Bugger
http://bedbugger.com
digitaldysfunction
I don't think anyone here suggested that bedbugs are fictional or easily remedied except you and bedbugger (both proponents of this act). The main point is that you seem to think that the solution is to force citizens to spend 200 million dollars of our money, regardless of whether or not we own or make use of single family residences, HOAs, hotels. Also funny is the fact that you would entrust this job to an organization that has a track record of failing to produce intended results despite the fact that they "invest" much more resources than any private entity would.
As owner, you are responsible for condition and upkeep. You wouldn't expect to see a soap grant, would you? How about a one vacuum cleaner per room bill? You have more incentive to get the job done as thoroughly and cheaply as possible. Groups like the NPMA do a lot of lobbying in order to overstate this problem. This act simply trades one species of parasite for another.
You made your bed, you sleep in it!
kryptonitekid
Bed bugs threaten our very way of life. If you don't support this bill, you are with the terrorists.
Finally...
Prior to fighting bed bugs, I also believed they would always be someone else's slummy problem. Good housekeeping would keep them away, right? Wrong. Bed bugs are now present in every quarter of public life: schools, workplaces, theaters; even your car. They are more resilient than cockroaches, and much more harmful to humans. And here's the kicker: a home can go from being bug-free to having a serious infestation in about a month and a half. Until you or someone you know has to deal with them, it's understandable to belittle the issue. But you are wise not to. Take these little bastards seriously!
OnceBitten
I am not a big Government advocate and I hate lawyers, but I think legislation is in order at the least to try to get hotels etc. to do better inspections and thorough treatments. If all it took was to wash the linens in hot water, my condo association wouldn't have found bed bugs in about 65% of our units. Sure pest control companies are licking their lips over this -- but this issue is REAL. Ask your mom what was in the bug powder they used to sprinkle on the bedroom floor -- she may have been too little to know, but that stuff was DDT. If you think big business will self-regulate, check out TripAdvisor online and type "bed bugs" on the search -- see how many establishments have been reported by travelers. It's shocking.
bedbugvictimperthaustralia
- A study has shown bed bugs are resistant to DDT. It's not the answer.
- Bed bugs aren't spread through uncleanliness, they spread by proximity and contact with others that have them.
- They don't just live in sheets or beds. They spread to your books, towels, carpets, wall sockets, and electronics.
- The federal government needs to set up a centralised reporting agency to track their spread and the result of efforts to control them. It affects all the states, as they spread from state to state, so it should be federal.
Read the Bill
They are not asking for money to treat bed bugs, but for money to pay State inspectors to go into these places and look for bed bug infestation. Since bed bugs were a non-issue 5 years ago, there is no current protocol for dealing with them. I suspect hotels would rather deal with the bugs themselves than get the State involved. This is like having a Health Inspector inspect kitchens -- one would assume that restaurants would do whatever they can to ensure you don't find rat poop in your salad, but it's the Inspector who cracks that whip and makes sure things are taken care of. We need this bill passed.
almost a good analogy
I suppose that analogy only works if you can unknowingly carry the rat poop home, it multiplies in your home at an alarming rate, and jumps into all of your food which then makes you break out in hives. But even that doesn't really paint the picture, does it? Because you would have the option of eating out every night and you wouldn't have to sleep with the poop. I wonder if our Perth Australia friend thinks we Yanks are all too whiney. :)
Accck
yer makin me itch!
Finally...
I think Perth's analogy is appropriate. Bed bugs have become a public health issue. The law seeks to prevent restaurants from harboring vermin. Why shouldn't it prevent hotels from harboring bed bugs? They are a public health threat as well.
Chris
What a load of pork.
Ian Martins
Ok, say your house is infested with bedbugs. What on earth do you believe that bureaucrats will be able to do about this, that you aren't able to do yourself, or by hiring someone from the private sector? The nannystate "solution" would be highly inefficient with long queues, like any nannystate "solution" is, and another drain on the tax payers money. Take reponsibility yourself.
VaBear
OMG! Please tell me this is a joke! 50 million to spend so hotels can inspect beds for bedbugs? Why not give the money directly to the hotel industry to hire more people to clean the rooms better? Call it the "Clean Room Bill"
DS
It's a shame that people are so ignorant to this situation. I urge you to do a news search on the topic. You may be suprised at what you find. Many many people are running into these bugs at hotels, on planes, etc. and unknowingly bringing them home by no fault of their own. The bugs then infest their homes and often friends of family members as well. It can cost thousands of dollars to eradicate these things, and in multi-unit dwellings, it's often impossible to do so. I hate to say it, but until these ignorant people experience this first hand, they won't understand or sympathize. Come back and comment once you've been through it.
deb
Truth is that only those who have had bedbugs or those who work with infestations, understand the consequences of this horrible bug. Hotels/motels are major contributors to the spread of bedbugs. My infestation came from a traveler who came from a Hotel. It cost my family thousands of dollars to rid our home of bedbugs. The monetary output was hard but the stress was much worse. The problem of bedbugs spreading via the hospitality industry is a serious matter. Your flippancy is equal to and indicative of your ignorance concerning a serious and growing problem. Bedbugs need to be addressed for the vermin that they are. Their continued spread via the accommodations industry should be taken very seriously.
kryptonitekid
@bedbugvictimperthaustralia
Why does the government need to be the one to track bed bug infestation in hotels? Why not create a bed bug tracking site that allows users to report on hotels that are doing more to control bed bugs or spread the word about repeat offenders? Why not petition an already-existing review site to include a bed bugs category? I regularly check review sites for any restaurant/company I plan on patronizing; I don't see how this is any different. I'm tempted to set this up myself...
deb
kryton..there is a large contingency of our population who do not use computers. What about the elderly people on fixed incomes who are not computer literate - those who save up to take their yearly vacation only to come home with bedbugs. We cannot take it for granted that all people are computer savvy. Unfortunately we cannot take good business ethics for granted either, and as is apparent from some of the comments here we cannot assume that people are decent and will do what is right.
Bed bugs are a serious problem
I am one of the lucky people, who can afford (albeit barely) the cleaning and treatment costs associated with bed bug treatment and whose landlord is responsive and willing to pay for treatment. Bed bugs are a real public health problem. In terms of physical health, the bites created an allergic reaction on my skin. I have started having trouble sleeping at night due to the mental health effects of infestation. The lack of sleep affects my physical health and work performance. After discovering my own infestation, research has shown me how fast this problem is spreading in cities across the US. Because there are not highly effective pesticides and treatments available currently for bed bugs, the best way to stop this from reaching epidemic proportions is to prevent the spread of bugs in the first place. It's been proven that many home infestations are the result of travel. Inspecting hotels will protect consumers and also protect the tourism industry.
DS
I concur with the above comment. This should be treated as a public health issue and thus far, that is not the case.
James Buggles
Cory, the government regulates many industries. Would you prefer that the government not regulate air travel and leave security up to the airlines? Actually, we tried that experiment already and 3,000+ people died on September 11th.
I'm a moderate and extremely pro-business, but the slimier businesses in the world -- lodging and real estate being the slimiest of the slimy -- need governmental oversight because they could care less about their customers given the peculiar nature of their business models.
Entrench
Two words: Needless Spending.
Not sure if anyone noticed the multi trillion dollar debt we are in but even with that our government is finding ever more creative ways to spend our money.
I experienced a bed bug problem about 7 years ago after buying new sheets. In a word it sucked. To get rid of it I got a steam cleaner and cleaned the mattress and problem solved, cost a whopping $15 to rent the cleaner. Point being every minor annoyance you face in life isn't cause for a federal initiative, the government is not your Mom, your best friend, or your caretaker. We have drifted too far toward a government of entitlement. There are those who seem to want our government to take care of their every want or need all while ignoring pesky little things like Islamic terrorism and the impending collapse of Medicare and Social Security. But hey at least we'll teach those pesky bed bugs a lesson huh. Give me a break.
Barry Donegan
I get the feeling that a good half of the people here are joking. I hope so, because this Bill is so rediculous that the people who submitted it and co-sponsored it should be impeached. You shouldn't go to capitol hill and use the floor as your own personal comedy routine.
and to james buggles, we had a ton of government regulation on september 11, including regulations preventing the airline from doing its own security. so we understand that regulation failed on that date.
I seriously hope those of you who comment in support of an outrageously silly bill like this are just being comedic also.
James Buggles
Barry, regulations are meaningless unless enforced. The airlines were not living up to the regulations. Airport security isn't great today, but it's better (except for the shoe removal, which is ridiculously stupid).
Anyway, did any of the critics here bother to read this bill? We're not talking about FBI agents rummaging around hotel rooms. We're talking about forcing hotels to do their job and prevent an epidemic. If bed bugs didn't hitchhike so well, a few bites in a hotel room would be no big deal. But hotels are a major vector for home infestations.
That said, I would prefer to see this money spent on public education. If people knew about the three major vectors -- used goods, hotels, and poorly sealed multi-tenant housing -- we could prevent an epidemic.
Kyle
Oh man! I really dont think this should be happening.
Government does not need to be involved in this. Hotels and owners should be involved. If a hotel is going to charge you $300 a night, and they wont check for bed bugs, then they dont need to be charging that much do they?
Why not put up a bill to get rid of fire ants, wasps, or misquitoes. Those things suck!
Entrench
Kyle in a very toungue in cheek way makes an excellent point. Where does the beuracracy stop? Why not have federal funds given to the states to send landscapers into wooded area to remove poison ivy and poison oak? Afterall this affects far more people than bed bugs and again is no fault of the person who gets poison ivy. At some point people have to be responsible for themselves. If you get bed bugs at a hotel sue the hotel there is a precedent for this. I imagine a lawsuit or two would be sufficient incentive to any business.
I've been bugged
To those who consider this a pork bill: wait until your home gets a problem and you'll understand. It's not as simple as buying a $15 steamer and changing your sheets. Ask any PCO and he or she will concur--it is extremely difficult to get rid of these pests, and the best attempts are very costly. THIS IS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE. And also: our government spends money on preventing mosquitoes from transmitting West Nile virus, on restaurants from having mice and roaches--this is no different and no less necessary.
Entrench
I've Been Bugged,
You're comparing apples to a-bombs. West Nile is potentially deadly as is rat feces in our food bed bugs are just aggravating and again I have personally dealt with them and it was no fun. We can't continually regulate the minutia of our day to day lives, seriously where do you draw the line? Our national budget is out of control and just like you or I have to do with our own budgets we must eliminate unecessary expenditures. We have to stop this vicious cycle of our government overspending and viewing the citizens of our country as income waiting to be pilfered. There are far better places to spend these monies.
The Jake
Okay. So bedbugs are a problem. I get it. I have dealt with them as well. If this country was in a surplus economically and we weren't in debt up to our eyeballs, maybe spending a little extra money on this "health concern" would be okay... However, I think congress is majoring in minors here. I mean, shouldn't we be spending money on REAL issues, here?
That was a statement to rationally talk to the supporters of this bill. Here's what I really meant to say: This bill is RIDICULOUS. Just another step in the Vagification of America.
Mohawk Kellye
This is hilarious. Joke or not. How about you guys just skip hotels altogether and use couchsurfing haha. It'll save you money in the end and you might make a new friend. This is a waste of money. There has to be a simpler solution and better and more important legislation that could be being made right now. I'm with Marc, dirty dishes are out of control and needs to be investigated.
James Buggles
In closing let me just share what an exterminator told me: "I'd rather have roaches, mice, AND rats than one bed bug." Remember, an exterminator told me this, and it was a casual conversation. He wasn't trying to sell me anything (he was spraying our office for roach control -- business as usual).
Norm
Lets see now H.R. 6068 the Bed Bug Act...
Next:
H.R. 6069 the Lyme Disease Tick Act
H.R. 6070 the Stinging Bee Act
H.R. 6071 the Termite Act
H.R. 6072 the Fire-Ant Act
H.R. 6073 the Cockroach Act
H.R. 6074 the Saw-Tooth Grain Beetle Act
H.R. 6075 the Cigarette Beetle Act
H.R. 6076 the House-Fly Act
H.R. 6077 the Horse-Fly Act
H.R. 6078 the Horse-S--t Act
H.R. 1-800-ORKIN-MAN the Final Act
Lynda F
Seems to me this would be falling under the Dept of Health for inspection in each respective locale. I mean they already inspect hotels for other things to keep the public safe from potential hazards that the public has no control over, just add this to the list.
IF the municipality needs more money for more inspectors, then I'm sure all the taxpayers in that area will have NO problem with paying an additional dollar or two in taxes to inspect for and combat this new epidemic.
The Feds are offering money that they not only do NOT have yet, but that isn't really their's to start with as ALL federal money IS taxpayer money.
And I'm sorry, but given that most of these hotels are all owned by major corporations profiting millions of dollars..........the reason THEY don't pay for this is?
Common sense people, enforce the existing health codes, new laws are NOT required for every little thing that falls under the umbrella of "public health".
I can't believe this
conversation is still going on.
$50,000,000. For bed bugs. We have a $10 TRILLION debt. How stupid are you people?
Donald B Parsons
I'm with Nunca!!!
WCityMike
Bedbugs are a communicable public health problem. Our government currently inspects hotels for many things; this adds funding for bedbug inspections, sensible since bedbugs are the most communicable problem hotels have: they infest customer after customer who resides in the room; each then has the possibility of infesting their houses, workplaces, schools and/or other hotels. It expands into a nasty geometric progression. It affects the tourism industry. It is a MAJOR concern for any resident of NYC (I am not one) -- it's a bloody plague out there. Allotting preventative funding NOW prevents larger-scale problems (and greater government costs) later. For those who mock and name-call -- I long ago decided I wouldn't even wish bedbugs on my worst enemies. But were you to have ever experienced a bedbug infestation ... you'd have a far more accurate experience of what the problem really is.
Allison
I am with Linda F. ... the corporations that own these places need to pay for this! I don't want to pay for their bedbug problems, I have my own to pay for. My husband just returned from travels and we think he brought a visitor with him, so we begin our own bedbug fight. I agree the hospitality industry needs to deal with it (I am not happy my husband stayed in a hotel that had them and now we do), but I do not see how this is put on taxpayers shoulders to pay for.
Johnson
The gov should enforce regular inspection - making the hotels pay for it.
As for those who believe bed bugs for poor and unkept. My husband and I, who have a combined income of $180,000 now have an infestation.
When they bite I get blisters. I have five blisters on my legs that itch like chicken pox.
For those who can't afford the procedure to eradicate them, my heart goes out to you.
Vector-Guard Inc.
As a K-9 bedbug inspection company we have seen a large growth in bedbug infestations in homes in the DC.Maryland.Virginia area. I agree that the Hospitality Industry needs
to be more aggresive with prevention methods for thier clients that visit there establishments. I dont think it should fall on the backs of the taxpayer to provide this kind of assistance to hotels that fail to provide a ongoing inpsection to prevent this problem, which in turn is giving these insects access to people's homes. So if we agree to give this assistance then there needs to be some kind of monitoring to make sure that these funds are being used to get the proper inspections and treatments.
President Vector-Guard Inc.
andy
This bill does almost nothing!!!!infact nothing period!!!
How about more spending in research in better pesticide!!!
I can tell that from my own experiance.youcan call the externimater all you want.do althat they tell you to and when they spray the realy weak crap down the bugs will just scatter into your neighbors appt.and when your neighbor calls the exterminator to have their unit sprayed they will filter back into your appt.tomorow we will have appts done.hopefully after 1 year year of this we will finally knock it down.point being if it were not for that looney environmentelist by the name of Dr rachel carlson we would still have the ulitimate pesticide that saved millions of lives.DDT.Hr 6068 does not address lifting the ban on DDT,or other powerfull pesticides
andy
DOES THIS INCLUDE LIFTING THE BAN ON DDT AND OTHER POTENT CHEMICALS?IF IT DOES NOT THEN WHAT GOOD DOES THIS DO?
sunny
Currently I have a bed bug problem, and use the non-toxic powder. Works good, but I need to get the duster because they will go into the cracks and come back, usually after a couple of months. But I only get bit once or twice, then spread the powder, and they're gone. If I dust into the cracks, I'll think I'll have it licked. My girlfriend had success with the duster a year ago, she does'nt have it anymore.
I agree, there has to be a better solution than having the government spend $ we need to spend on other issues. Bed bugs are bad, I have scars on my legs,but I think there has to be a better solution. I also have a professional steam cleaner, but have to get off my butt to set up and do the apartment, which I'm sure will also help A LOT.
sunny
And please, we have enough pesticides dumped onto this poor planet, we don't need to lift any bans on the ones we've gotten rid of. THINK!
Bedbug City
See how widespread is the bedbug problem:
http://mappost.org/bedbugcity.php
iris-mom
my son started college this fall for a month my son had bed bugs. we had clean his room out with bleach, when he went into his room, he was biten all over his arms legs and face and chest. he saw the college dr, he said that he had poison oak. my son finally spotted the bug they where in the bed (he has a wooden bed) this has been so stressful i have taken him to other dr's they couldn't tell me what he had. now i am wondering will my son body will be mark for the rest of his life. i sent my son to college and this is what happened to him. granted the school has taken the time to fix it, but i was told he is not the case. this bill should be passed.i have to know take my son to see plastic surgon if the marks remain in his body. i had also pay to have my place clean out. i am a single mom taken care of 2 kids. i don't get much help from their father, this has stress me out.