[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 20, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE LEAD HAZARD TITLE X AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2013

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                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 2013

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Lead Hazard 
Title X Amendments Act.
  Although the prevalence of lead poisoning in children has dropped 
dramatically since the 1970s, the number of children suffering from 
lead poisoning remains unacceptably high. Over half a million children 
under the age of 6 in the Unites States, disproportionately from 
African-American or low-income communities, are suffering from elevated 
blood lead levels. There is no safe level of lead exposure for 
children, yet an estimated 37.1 million homes still have lead-based 
paint somewhere in the building.
  Lead poisoning, which can occur at very low levels of exposure, 
causes brain damage in infants and toddlers, resulting in poor 
educational outcomes and widening the achievement gap. Lead poisoning 
robs children of IQ points, causes cognitive and behavioral issues, and 
a results in a lifetime of adverse health effects. Each year, lead 
poisoning costs the United States more than $50 billion in lost 
productivity. Educating children suffering from lead poisoning costs 
public school system special education programs an extra $38,000 per 
child every three years. When it costs less than that to eliminate lead 
from a home, it hardly makes sense that we permit any of our nation's 
children to be the victims of lead poisoning.
  The bill I am introducing today, the Lead Hazard Title X Amendments 
Act, modernizes the Department for Housing and Urban Development's Lead 
Hazard Control Program. By making much needed updates to the program, 
we can better protect our children and allow for more efficient lead 
eradication from homes.
  This Act will allow families living in all housing, including 
efficiency apartments, to be eligible for Lead Hazard Control grants. 
It will broaden the categories of eligible grant recipients, it will 
allow non-profit agencies and tribal governments to apply for lead 
abatement funds, and it will simplify the grant application process by 
allowing Lead Hazard Control grantees to use eligibility information 
from other government programs to qualify for funds. Finally, this Act 
will enable grantees already receiving Lead Hazard Control funding to 
easily and efficiently tap other resources for additional Healthy 
Housing repairs, including addressing asthma, carbon monoxide, and 
other safety concerns.
  We cannot afford for any of our children not to reach their full 
potential. I urge my colleagues to stand with me to protect all our 
nation's children from lead poisoning.

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