INDIANAPOLIS — A bill that would require schools to test drinking water for lead doesn’t mandate disclosure or cover child care facilities such as day care centers.
House Bill 1265 (http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2020/bills/house/1265), authored by state Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, would require schools to test for the neurotoxin, which research links with developmental and behavioral disabilities in children, and take action if lead levels are 15 parts per billion or higher.
Jackson explained Monday that the Indiana Finance Authority offers funds for such testing.
Senate Majority Leader Mark Messmer, R-Jasper, said that the bill would require only one-time testing because the state would have to explore sources of funding for regular testing.
“I would anticipate most of the time it’s internal to the building,” Messmer said in response to questions about lead sources, mentioning his experience in the construction industry. “(This) would be dealing with filtration at the point of consumption.”
Justin Ohlemiller, the executive director of the Indiana chapter of Stand for Children, urged senators to lower the permissible level from 15 ppb to 5 ppb. He maintained that no level of lead consumption is acceptable for children.
“The research is crystal clear; lead can cause irreversible damage to children,” Ohlemiller said. “Certainly, we can all agree that our goal would be zero lead in our school’s drinking water. ... We know this committee must make a threshold that is reasonable and reachable while also balancing the needs for health for our Hoosier children.”
Ohlemiller argued for mandatory disclosure of lead levels to parents, citing a recent IndyStar opinion article about the slow disclosure of lead in Indianapolis Public Schools.
Messmer said that a lower level of lead could be negotiated in future conferences about bills. The deadline for bills to leave committee is Thursday.
HB 1265 passed unanimously out of the Environmental Affairs committee and will go to the Senate floor.
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