OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
H.B. 282 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for H.B. 282’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsors: Reps. J. Miller and Hillyer
Effective date:
Jeff Grim, Research Analyst
SUMMARY
 Requires the Director of Commerce to establish a mold information and awareness
program to assist the public in understanding the threat of mold in buildings and the
importance of the proper removal of that mold.
 Requires the Director, as part of the program, to do both of the following:
 Every five years, review technology or treatment techniques for mold identification
and remediation that provide additional protections to public health and safety.
 Establish a public awareness campaign on the dangers of mold in accordance with
rules adopted under the bill.
 Requires the Director to adopt rules governing the program, including requirements and
procedures for the five-year review.
 Exempts any regulatory restrictions contained in rules adopted under the bill from the
continuing law regulatory restriction reduction requirements.
 Requires the Department of Commerce, in consultation with medical experts, to study
any adverse effects to humans from exposure to mold in damp and water-damaged
buildings.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Mold information and awareness program
The bill requires the Director of Commerce to establish a mold information and
awareness program to assist the public in understanding the threat of mold in buildings and the
importance of the proper removal of that mold. The bill allows the Director to delegate the
authority to administer the program to the Superintendent of Industrial Compliance in the
Department of Commerce.
October 2, 2023
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
As part of the program, the Director (or Superintendent) must do both of the following:
1. Every five years, review technology or treatment techniques for mold identification and
remediation that provide additional protections to public health and safety. The review
must be performed in accordance with rules adopted under bill and include an
examination of any new scientific evidence that indicates that mold may present a
greater health risk to the public than previously determined.
2. Establish a public awareness campaign on the dangers of mold in accordance with rules
adopted under the bill. As part of the campaign, the Director must disseminate
information via brochures and the Department of Commerce’s website.1
The bill requires the Director to adopt rules in accordance with the Administrative
Procedure Act establishing all of the following:
1. Requirements and procedures for the five-year review discussed above.
2. Requirements and procedures for the public awareness campaign. The rules must
ensure that the campaign educates the public on the health effects of mold in damp and
water-damaged buildings, methods of identification and remediation of mold, and
contact information for organizations or government agencies that can assist the public
with their concerns.
3. Any other procedures or requirements necessary to implement and administer the
program.2
The bill specifies that mold consists of microscopic organisms or fungi that can grow in
damp conditions in the interior of a building, including important mycotoxinproducing
organisms, such as stachybotrys chartarum, chaetomium globosum, and aspergillus versicolor.
Regulatory restriction reduction requirement exemption
The bill exempts rules adopted by the Director governing mold information and
awareness program from continuing law requirements concerning reductions in regulatory
restrictions. Currently, the Director must take actions to reduce regulatory restrictions,
including, by June 30, 2025, reducing the amount of regulatory restrictions contained in an
inventory created in 2019 in accordance with a statutory schedule. A “regulatory restriction” is
any part of an administrative rule that requires or prohibits an action.3
Mold study
The bill requires the Department of Commerce to study any adverse effects to humans
from exposure to mold in damp and water-damaged buildings. The Department must consult
1 R.C. 121.083 and 4177.01(A) and (B).
2 R.C. 4177.01(C).
3 R.C. 4177.01(D), by reference to R.C. 121.95 to 121.953, not in the bill.
P a g e |2 H.B. 282
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
with medical research institutions and organizations with expertise on the adverse health
effects from exposure to mold. Not later than one year after the bill’s effective date, the
Department must submit its findings to the General Assembly.4
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 09-26-23
ANHB0282IN-135/ar
4 Section 2.
P a g e |3 H.B. 282
As Introduced