In one of the 112th Congress' final acts, lawmakers sent legislation to the president's desk that addresses tainted imported drywall that has contaminated thousands of homes across the country.

The House earlier this week passed an amended version of Virginia Rep. Scott Rigell's (R) H.R. 4212 in a 378-37 vote. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D) had already shepherded the bill through the Senate by unanimous consent.

"This is a bill about protecting American families -- their health and financial well-being," Rigell said in a statement yesterday. "Too many of our friends and neighbors have suffered because of the effects of Chinese drywall in their homes, and this bill ensures that preventative standards are in place so no American family is faced with the hardship and heartache from contaminated drywall ever again."

At issue is millions of pounds of potentially toxic drywall that was used during the country's housing boom and through reconstruction of the Gulf Coast following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.

Most of the drywall came from China. There have been thousands of reported cases of respiratory problems associated with it, as well as corrosion of electrical systems. The Consumer Product Safety Commission testified in 2011 that it had received nearly 4,000 complaints about the drywall from 43 states. Lawmakers have estimated that the product has been used in roughly 8,000 homes.

But the government has done little to address the problem. CPSC has not issued a recall, and hardly any compensation has been provided to the affected families.

Rigell and Warner's bill expresses a sense of Congress that Chinese manufacturers need to pay the victims of their products. It also establishes a labeling requirement so defective drywall can be traced to its maker.

Further, it sets chemical standards on the amount of sulfur allowed in domestic and imported drywall and requires CPSC to update remediation guidelines so the product isn't reused or recycled.

"Hundreds of Virginia homeowners have been put through hell after building or repairing their homes with toxic drywall," Warner said. "Our bipartisan legislation should ensure that, in the future, more Virginians will not have to go through similar nightmares."

Warner, Rigell and other members of Virginia's delegation have been looking for ways to address the drywall issue for several years since a significant amount of the product was used in the state's Hampton Roads area. Warner and his staff have worked with 100 affected Virginia families for three years, his office said, including approaching mortgage lenders, insurance companies and the IRS.

Still, in 2011 Warner said he could not "think of a more frustrating issue" that he's been involved with (E&E Daily, Dec. 7, 2011).

"This legislation helps make sure that unsafe drywall won't be sold in the future," Warner said, "and that the manufacturers of tainted drywall will be held accountable."

The White House has not said whether it supports the bill. However, President Obama has vetoed very few pieces of legislation, and CPSC has said it supports the measure.