Sen. Richard Blumenthal is leading a bipartisan effort to pass the MOLD Act, a bill he says would protect military families from unsafe rental housing conditions.

Blumenthal said the legislation targets mold, insects and water damage in military housing and would require the Department of Defense to better protect families from exploitative landlords.

"Many of these military families are in danger as a result of mold, insects, water damage of hazards to health — and that's why I'm leading legislation that would require the Department of Defense to protect them against exploitive landlords," he said.

The bill's name, MOLD, stands for Military Occupancy Living Defense. Blumenthal said the measure would protect about 700,000 military families nationwide.