Chicago vs. Bed Bugs

*Update (05/07/09): Text of the legislation is now available via The Library of Congress; the link to the Act below has been modified accordingly.

Breaking news, folks.  According to National Pest Management Association, Rep. G.K. Butterfield introduced the brand new Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009 (or H.R.2248) in the United States House of Representatives today.  Text of the legislation is not yet available through The Library of Congress, but according to NPMA

Introduced today by Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina, the multi-faceted legislation provides critical resources to state and local officials to combat bed bug outbreaks in lodging facilities, residential housing and other settings. Specifically, the bill:

• Establishes a state bed bug inspection grant program within the Department of Commerce for states to use to help fund inspections of lodging facilities;

• Expands an existing grant program managed by the Department of Health and Human Services that already provides funds to states for cockroach and rodent control to be used for bed bug prevention and control;

• Requires public housing agencies to include in annual plans, required by the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, measures necessary for the management of bed bugs, similar to their current responsibility to manage cockroaches; and

• Directs the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate the public health implications of bed bugs.

Impressive. I’m so happy to see that this act includes a new federal grant program to fund inspection in lodging facilities as well as expansion of an existing grant program to allow funding for prevention and control methods in the public sector through the Department of Health and Human Services.   And I really like to see that the act accounts for our public housing agencies, which have, in my opinion anyway, been neglected and overlooked and underfunded when it comes to bed bug infestations for entirely too long.

I’m excited to see the full text of the legislation.  For now, we extend our wholehearted thanks to Representative Butterfield and to the eight cosponsors of the act (including Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois– thank you!!) for addressing the spread of bed bug infestations in our country.  And we commend National Pest Management Alliance for so readily supporting the act:

“NPMA strongly commends Congressman Butterfield for his leadership on this very important issue,” said Bob Rosenberg, NPMA’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. “His legislation will grant state and local governments, in concert with the professional pest management industry, the necessary resources to more effectively and aggressively manage bed bug infestations.”

Maybe we really are all in this together after all.  I was starting to wonder!

And thanks again, Renee, for the tip!

In today’s Bedbug Conference article, The Post Chronicle features this Associated Press YouTube video, taken at the EPA National Bed Bug Summit yesterday:

My favorite line from the video?  Environmental Protection Agency’s Lois Rossi on the purpose of the summit:

We felt at this point in time it was necessary to bring interested stakeholders together to collaboratively try and solve a problem or come up with some solutions that might lead to the resolution of this problem.

Perfect.  This, my friends, is how strategic plans like the one we advocate for the City of Chicago begin.  It’s the first thing I’d ask our city to do, if I could share my Bed Bug Wish List with the officials responsible for addressing the spread of bed bug infestations in Chicago: invite interested local stakeholders (public health agencies, community organizations, pest management professionals, entomologists, housing authorities, city council members, streets and sanitation officials, apartment associations and others) to participate in a collaborative brainstorming session and generate ideas about how to solve the problem.  It’s the best first step our city can take; it’s the first step many other cities and states have already taken.

Chicagoans, if you’d like to send a message to your aldermen, you can do so quickly through our CitizenSpeak Campaigns.  We’re all in this together, remember.

*Pete Grasso of Pest Management Professional posted live updates from the EPA summit here and here.  Check it out!

Our friends at New York vs. Bed Bugs just broke the news– you can read Renee Corea’s post about the groundbreaking EPA Bed Bug Summit here and view the EPA’s information sheet here.

As Renee tells us, the summit will take place on April 14th and 15th, 2009 in Washington, D.C.  It’s free and open to the public, but seating is limited to 125; RSVP is recommended.

*Update: EPA National Bed Bug Summit Venue Change*

The EPA has changed its venue in order to accommodate more attendees, and RSVP is no longer required.  Here’s a link to the updated EPA announcement (PDF), with details about the venue change, courtesy of New York vs. Bed Bugs.

The purpose of the summit?  According to the info sheet:

Meeting Goals and Objectives:

• Share information on topics including the expanding effect of bed bugs on the housing, hospitality, and other industries/sectors; factors contributing to the growing problem; and the response of public health and government.

• Provide a venue to communicate with others in the diverse community affected by the growing bed bug problem.

• Identify ideas and options for bed bug prevention, control, management, and strategies for outreach and education. Develop recommendations for action for participating and affected stakeholders.

This is music to our ears, my friends.  Music.  To.  Our.  Ears.

*Stay tuned for much, much more information about the other upcoming bed bug conference in Washington, DC:  “Stop Bed Bugs DC”– a DC Department of Health-sponsored conference spearheaded by the incredibly resilient, resourceful, determined co-presidents of the Norwood Tenants Association.