HARRISBURG – State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-23) today joined legislative members of the Task Force on Lead Exposure to discuss legislative recommendations that were part of the ‘Lead Exposure Risks and Response in Pennsylvania: Report of the Advisory Committee and Task Force on Lead Exposure.’ The legislative members of the task force included Sen. John Yudichak, Sen. Lisa Baker, Sen. Wayne Fontana, Sen. Judy Schwank, and Sen. Pat Stefano.
Yaw noted during the press conference that he will soon introduce legislation requiring all school drinking water systems to be tested for lead contamination.
“Lead contamination in schools and in public drinking water supplies is a real threat across our state and our nation,” said Sen. Yaw. “It’s unfortunate that schools, a place where our children spend much of their time, can have unsafe levels of lead in their water supply. The bill is one more step we can take to protect our children and school employees from potential health hazards.”
The advisory committee and task force made the following recommendations, several of which are being addressed through legislation announced today:
- Require universal blood screenings for children;
- Mandate inspections/certifications of child-care facilities with vulnerable populations;
- Ensure safe housing is available to families through a residential rental property certification program;
- Establish a statewide rental housing registry;
- Establish a lead abatement grant program to assist property owners in conducting lead abatement;
- Establish an inter-agency council to coordinate implementation of lead prevention programs and policies among the relevant state agencies;
- Require all school drinking water systems to be inspected and certified;
- Clarify plumbing system lead ban;
- Permit municipal authorities operating public drinking water system to replace lateral lead service lines;
- Require lead service line replacements and restrict partial lead water service line replacements;
- Adopt the Uniform Property Maintenance Code; and
- Provide guidance on private well construction.
The Advisory Committee and Task Force on Lead Exposure was formed after legislation sponsored by Sen. Yudichak, Senate Resolution 33, was approved in 2017. The Joint State Government Commission released the report in April. The report is available online at http://jsg.legis.state.pa.us/
For more state-related news and information visit Senator Yaw’s website at www.SenatorGeneYaw.com or on Facebook and Twitter @SenatorGeneYaw.
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Sen. Yaw joins legislative members of the Task Force on Lead Exposure to discuss legislative recommendations during a press conference at the State Capitol on Tuesday.
CONTACT:
Rita Zielonis, Chief of Staff
(717) 787-3280