Lawmakers introduce bills to expand lead pipe replacement grants
(UI) — Two members of Congress have introduced legislation that would expand federal support for replacing lead service lines and strengthen existing lead abatement programs aimed at reducing exposure in drinking water and housing.
Reps. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., unveiled the GET THE LEAD OUT Act and the Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (REPLACE) Act. Together, the bills would establish a new federal grant program for removing lead plumbing and improve coordination between existing lead paint and lead pipe remediation efforts.
The GET THE LEAD OUT Act would create a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help replace lead pipes, fixtures and taps in residential properties. The legislation also would establish standards, training requirements and financing mechanisms to support lead plumbing replacement nationwide.
The REPLACE Act would amend existing federal housing and drinking water programs to better coordinate lead paint and lead pipe removal, strengthen local implementation efforts and improve remediation of lead hazards.
Brown said communities have waited too long to address the health risks associated with lead exposure.
"For decades, we've known that lead is dangerous and we've had the tools to address it," Brown said. "It's long past time for the federal government to move faster and ensure every family and child has a safe place to live."
Tlaib said the legislation is intended to help communities identify and remove lead hazards from homes and drinking water systems.
"There is no safe level of lead—not in water and not in paint," Tlaib said. "These two important bills will overhaul federal lead abatement programs to help identify and remediate lead-based paint, dust and pipes."
The lawmakers said the bills are intended to address lead exposure in communities nationwide, including areas with elevated childhood blood lead levels such as Cleveland and Detroit. Both lawmakers are members of the congressional Get the Lead Out Caucus.
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