Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Representative Dan Kildee (D-MI) introduced on July 11 the “Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act of 2019” (S. 2087 and H.R. 3721), which aims to improve protections against lead poisoning in housing. Senator Duckworth introduced a similar bill during the previous congressional session.
The bill includes several provisions to decrease the presence of lead in drinking water. The proposal includes the creation of the Healthy Homes Lead In Drinking Water Grant pilot program, which would provide resources to state and local governments to identify and remediate threats of lead in drinking water in homes. Grantees in the pilot program would also test for lead in public water fountains, schools, and childcare facilities and would create a public inventory of lead service lines.
HUD and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would be required to work together to identify and address lead contamination and update current physical condition standards. The bill also provides additional guidance that ensures HUD addresses issues of lead in drinking water when remediating homes for lead-based paint.
Read more about the bill at: https://tinyurl.com/y2mryeg7