CHEYENNE - A bill that would require property owners to clean up clandestine drug laboratories won approval from a Senate committee Monday.

Senate File 19, sponsored by Sen. Bob Fecht, R-Cheyenne, cleared the Senate Minerals, Business and Economic Development Committee on a 5-0 vote.

The bill would give authorities the power to require cleanup of drug labs and create a system to pay for the work.

"This bill had a lot of input from all of the parties involved, and Sen. Fecht has been very amenable to see that all parties concerned have been addressed," said David Johnson, Wyoming Bankers Association executive director.

The impetus for the bill is the proliferation of illegal methamphetamine labs.

The number of meth labs is down, but in some cases homes that once housed illegal drug labs have sat empty for years, leaving behind a toxic hazard and dragging down property values in the neighborhood, officials say.

Clandestine drug labs can be hazardous and require specialized equipment and training to clean up. The costs are considerable.

SF 19 would limit the cleanup cost to property owners to 1 percent of the market value of the home, or $1,500 for a home valued at $150,000.

The bill also includes an appropriation to create a new $250,000 state account called the "clandestine laboratory remediation account." Most of the balance of cleanup costs would come from that account, which still must receive approval from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

A similar bill died last year in the Senate because of liability concerns for property owners.

It was opposed by bankers out of fear that mortgage holders would be saddled with the cleanup costs if the homeowner could not pay.

By contrast, SF 19 has received approval from the Wyoming Bankers Association and the Wyoming Association of Realtors.

Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@trib.com.