Senate Passes Schumer Bill To Help Pay For School Lead Testing

The U.S. Senate has passed legislation which will help school districts across New York test their drinking water for possible lead contamination.

The legislation was sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer.

It would establish a new $20 million federal grant program for schools that choose to test for lead beyond this school year.  He called the passage of his legislation a critical first step and vowed to fight for more funding to address lead contamination in school drinking water.

Schumer says protecting our children's health should be our number one priority.

He's urging the House to pass the bill before returning home.

“It is imperative that we provide a steady stream of support for the schools in New York and around our country to test the quality of our kids’ drinking water. We worked hard to pass a bill that addresses the yawning gap in our national lead-testing protocols, and now I’m hopeful that my bill will earn strong bipartisan support in the House and quickly become law.”