A pair of bills introduced by a House Democrat in late January would authorize two new federal grant programs aimed at reducing the amount of lead in drinking water serving schools. The bills are based on legislation that was first introduced in Congress in 2016, but which did not advance.
Sponsored by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), the first bill (H.R. 4907) would direct EPA to establish a new grant program to replace lead components used in school plumbing. The grants could be used to replace both interior plumbing and service lines that do not meet the current definition of “lead free,” so public water systems would be eligible to apply for grants to fund the replacement of the publicly owned portion of a school’s service line. Local educational agencies would also be eligible to apply for funding to replace their portion of the service line, as well as interior plumbing components. The bill would authorize spending up to $50 million per year on the program over five years.
Rep. Rush’s other bill (H.R. 4908) would create a more targeted grant program specifically to help schools replace lead-tainted drinking water fountains. Authorized at $5 million per year for five years, this EPA grant program could be accessed by schools to replace drinking water fountains, or to cover the cost of monitoring and reporting the lead levels of the school’s drinking water.
Similar legislation was introduced by Rep. Rush in 2016, but it did not advance in the Republican Congress. No further action on the new bills is expected in the near-term on Capitol Hill.