[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 148 (Thursday, September 6, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H7877-H7878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS DRINKING WATER SHUTOFF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the extremely serious 
and ongoing issue of safe drinking water in our schools.
  This week in my hometown of Detroit, the Detroit Public Schools began 
the year without safe and clean drinking water. The superintendent 
chose to shut the water off to the entire school district after 16 of 
the schools tested positive for elevated levels of lead and copper.
  What should have been an exciting first day of school was 
overshadowed by the fears of lead poisoning and unsanitary learning 
conditions.
  This, unfortunately, is no surprise. We have seen this happen all 
over the country, where schools put bags over their drinking fountains 
because they are not safe for the children to consume the water.
  This is a consequence of years of neglecting our Nation's 
infrastructure. For years, I have spoken out against the severe funding 
decrease in our infrastructure and our public schools. For too long we 
have kicked the can down the road and ignored this critical issue of 
safe drinking water in America.
  Deliberately not funding necessary and long overdue upgrades for our 
water infrastructure hurts women, children, and especially the poor and 
people of color.
  We cannot repeat the Flint water crisis, and we must learn from our 
mistakes. This situation demands a sense of urgency and should be 
handled in a timely manner.
  As adults, we are responsible for protecting our children. We are the 
ones who must make the right decisions. This is not a partisan issue, 
but a public health issue.
  The Detroit Public Schools and the Detroit children, every day they 
work hard to face the challenges to simply obtain an excellent 
education.
  We need to address the immediate health concerns. And we need 
resources to protect our children from future harm.
  Every child must be tested. I appreciate and applaud the 
superintendent's positive response to this emergency. I urge the school 
district and the city to use whatever resources are immediately 
available to test these children for lead poisoning. We need to know 
how widespread this situation is. The tests will help us understand how 
much damage our children have been exposed to.
  Children covered by Medicare are already required to receive blood 
lead screening tests. I will work with the city and the State to see 
how we can get every child in Detroit tested.
  Without adequate resources and access to information, we stand to 
fail our children. This is unacceptable.
  We also learned from Flint that professionals, not politicians, 
should be making health decisions. That is why I introduced H.R. 1909, 
the Environmental Health Workforce Act.
  Only 28 States require the environmental health workforce to be 
credentialed. And unfortunately, Michigan is not one of those States. 
This legislation I am proposing will ensure every State has a 
credentialed workforce.
  We would not go to a doctor who did not have an MD. Why would we let 
someone who is making decisions about our water quality and food do it 
without proper qualifications.
  These emergencies show us that we cannot keep relying on a patchwork 
of quick fixes. We don't know how many children are in danger until 
every child is tested. We need to truly invest in long-term solutions.

[[Page H7878]]

  As I continue monitoring this situation, I will continue pursuing the 
issue until we have solutions and funding on a Federal level to protect 
our children.
  Water is not a luxury, it is a necessity for life. And the least of 
ours, our children, should not be put in danger.

                          ____________________