House orders study of Florida drywall

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. House of Representatives says a study will be conducted of allegedly toxic Chinese drywall plaguing some South Florida homeowners.

In response to an amendment of a lending bill filed by Reps. Robert Wexler, and Mario Diaz-Balart, both D-Fla., the House ordered a study of the allegedly toxic materials that some South Florida homeowners say have forced them to leave their homes, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel said Friday.

The study will be coordinated by the secretaries of housing and treasury and will focus on property insurance availability for those homeowners as well as how the drywall impacts home foreclosures.

The amendment from Wexler and Diaz-Balart, who are seeking $2 million to examine related drywall problems, was passed as part of the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.

"Parents who have found Chinese drywall in their homes and wish to leave out of concern for the safety and health of their children are facing the dilemma of how to find secondary housing and maintain their mortgages on their primary residences," Wexler said. "In addition, the values of these homes in most cases have plummeted due to this tainted drywall."