[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 5663-5664]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           LEAD CONTAMINATION

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, it is not a new problem. Lead in school 
drinking water has been a problem in communities across this Nation for 
years. So why isn't there more outrage and talk about it among my 
colleagues?
  Even Chris Christie has ordered lead testing in New Jersey public 
schools. When New Jersey's Governor starts to admit that there is a 
problem that demands government action, you know the situation must be 
dire.
  No child takes a drink from a water fountain in school and thinks 
about whether the water is contaminated or not. It is our job to 
protect our children, and that means ensuring the safety of school 
drinking water.
  Congress should pass and the President should sign my TEST for Lead 
Act. The bill requires States to help schools establish programs to 
test for lead in the drinking water if those States receive Federal 
funding for safe water programs. It would ensure transparency by 
requiring disclosure of high levels of lead in schools. Most 
importantly, it would help keep our children safe.

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