Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain sanitation procedures for mattresses and product labeling regarding such procedures.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning secondhand mattresses, amending R.S.26:10-12 and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. R.S.26:10-12 is amended to read as follows:
26:10-12. In addition to the requirements of [section] R.S.26:10-10 [of this title], every secondhand mattress distributed in this State, either for sale or otherwise, shall have printed on the label in the manner prescribed in [said section] R.S.26:10-10 the following:
a. Date of sterilization and disinfection.
b. Name of person performing same.
c. Address of person performing same.
d. A certification stating that the mattress does not contain bedbugs.
(cf: R.S.26:10-12)
2. (New section) No person shall distribute in this State, either for sale or otherwise, a secondhand mattress unless that mattress has been sanitized using a method approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Health that is intended to kill bedbugs, dust mites, other insects, molds, fungi, germs or other organisms and remove soil, dust mite and insect feces, allergens and other contaminants.
3. (New section) Any person who violates any of the provisions of this act shall, in addition to any other penalty provided by chapter 10 of Title 26 of the Revised Statutes, be liable to a penalty of not more than $1,000 for the first offense and not more than $2,000 for the second and each subsequent offense.
4. (New section) The Commissioner of the Department of Health shall promulgate regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B‑1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that every secondhand mattress distributed in this State, either for sale or otherwise, shall have a certification printed on its label stating that the mattress does not contain bedbugs.
The bill further provides that a person shall not distribute in this State, either for sale or otherwise, a mattress unless that mattress has been sanitized using a method approved by the Commissioner of the Department of Health that is intended to kill bedbugs, dust mites, other insects, molds, fungi, germs or other organisms and remove soil, dust mite and insect feces, allergens and other contaminants.
The bill further provides that a violation of the bill is punishable by a penalty of not more than $1,000 for the first offense and not more than $2,000 for the second and each subsequent offense, in addition to other applicable penalties under current law.
This bill addresses the recent increase in bedbug infestation in this State. Bedbugs were nearly eradicated from this country during the period immediately following World War II. However, bedbug cases have been on the rise recently in this country. The National Pest Management Association reported a 71% increase in bedbug calls between 2000 and 2005.