DID THAT CUTE HOME HAVE A METH LAB?

LINCOLN - Home buyers and renters should be told if the charming 3BR ranch
w/fireplace that caught their eye also harbors hazardous leftovers from
methamphetamine manufacturing, state legislators were told Tuesday.

Without such warnings, parents could unwittingly put themselves and their
children in danger from the many chemicals used in cooking up a batch of
meth, State Sen. Ray Aguilar of Grand Island told the Banking, Commerce and
Insurance Committee.

With required warnings, property owners would have reason to thoroughly
clean up meth-related hazards before trying to rent or sell, he said.

The chemicals and fumes remaining in former meth labs can cause burning
eyes, nose, skin and throat, as well as damage to lungs and the brain, he said.

"This issue is so important because meth labs can be anywhere, and they are
prevalent across Nebraska," Aguilar said. "To me it's just common sense not
to live in a contaminated area."

Aguilar's Legislative Bill 149 would require disclosure about past
methamphetamine labs on a property.

An amendment he proposed Tuesday would require similar disclosures about
hotel and motel rooms, but drop the disclosure requirement when health
officials certify that the property has been cleaned up.

The Nebraska Association of Hotels and Motels opposed the bill.

The proposal has too many unknowns, said Korby Gilbertson, speaking for the
Nebraska Realtors Association. Among them: Who would set the standards for
cleaning up a property, and who would decide when it no longer requires a
warning.

Les Tyrrell, director of the Nebraska Real Estate Commission, questioned
whether the focus shouldn't be on getting local health departments involved
with cleaning up such properties.

The bill was one of two heard Tuesday to protect potential home buyers.

The second, LB 315, was introduced by Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha. It would
require that potential home buyers be told about the state's sex offender
registry. The registry would allow them to learn if a convicted sex
offender lives in the neighborhood.

"If it is important for the home buyer to know if the cable television jack
works, it's important to know if there's a registered sex offender living
next door," she said.

Such notice could be added to the bottom of the seller property disclosure
statement, even though it does not relate to the condition of a property,
Tyrrell said.