Apartments, hotels, motels, condos, hospitals, and other living communities with shared walls are known hot beds for bed bug activity because the critters can easily travel from unit to unit. Once they gain a stronghold, bed bugs can be very difficult and expensive to eradicate.
Taking their resurgence seriously has been swift for some states and slower for others. Over the past few years, some state legislature committees have embraced creating bed bug related laws to protect the public, while others have steered clear of the issue altogether, believing that bed bugs are a nuisance pest and not a public threat.
In New Jersey, Senate Bill No 2543 was first introduced by Senator Robert Singer in December of 2010. On August 25, 2011, with a vote of 37-0, the New Jersey State Senate passed new legislation to help protect some of the public from the creatures that typically bite in the night. The new Bill requires any “alternative residential facility” to have a bed bug maintenance plan set in place with a licensed pest control expert and have an administrative policy for a response if bed bugs are found. Alternative residential facilities include: hospitals, nursing homes, rooming houses, homeless shelters, residential care facilities, hotels or housing offering single room occupancy.
This new Bill is an important step in helping ensure that swift attention is given to any bed bugs that are found in these types of residential facilities so that bed bugs can be controlled immediately. People in the State of New Jersey deserve to enjoy a good night’s rest without the threat of being attacked by bloodsucking bed bugs.
