Co-Sponsorship Memo Details

In the near future, we plan to introduce a package of bills to address the recent reports surrounding elevated lead levels in the Commonwealth.
 
News reports on the contaminated water supply in Flint, Michigan have brought the conversation about lead to the national forefront. We believe we must be proactive in analyzing Pennsylvania’s lead situation to protect our residents against the possibility of a Flint-like incident occurring here.
 
A 2014 Department of Health study found that children in more than eighteen communities throughout the Commonwealth have tested positive for lead at levels higher than those in Flint. Some of the communities in that report are: Allentown, Altoona, Bethlehem, Erie, Johnstown, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Reading, and Scranton.
 
While the tragedy in Flint focuses on the water supply, the dangers of lead in Pennsylvania also extend to our schools, day cares, and housing stock through lead-based paint. It is time we take action to analyze the commonwealth’s potential lead issues and ensure that our children and our communities are safe.
 
This bill would amend Title 68 (Real Property) to require that property disclosure statements, which are compulsory by law as a condition of most residential real property transfers, discloses whether lead contamination has been found in the drinking water of a home and/or a house built before 1978 contains lead paint.   
 
We hope you will consider cosponsoring this important consumer protection legislation.