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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 18, 2018 01:58 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Judith L. Schwank |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Lead testing in Daycare facilities |
| I will shortly reintroduce SB 1051 from the 2017-2018 legislative session to require lead testing at child daycare programs. A 2014 state Department of Health study found that children in more than eighteen communities across the Commonwealth faced higher exposure to lead than those that had drawn national attention in Flint, Michigan. Among the communities identified were Allentown, Altoona, Bethlehem, Erie, Johnstown, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Reading, and Scranton. The dangers of historic lead use occur in paint, water, dust and soil in older homes and buildings across the state where many daycare programs operate. It is important to identity and address the potential lead issues in such circumstances because children, especially younger ones, face particular risks in their development. My bill would require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to include lead testing of water, paint, soil and dust in the licensing process for child daycare programs. It would prohibit licensing of any child daycare program while lead levels exceeds those recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control. Current licensees would be required to develop an approved remediation program. I hope you will join me in providing this protection for our children. Previous cosponsors included Senators Fontana, Farnese, Tartaglione, Brewster, Yudichak, , Costa, Sabatina, Browne and Hughes. |
Introduced as SB39