Congresswoman Louise Slaughter is joining with fellow Representative Paul Tonko in calling for more resources to fight lead poisoning.
Tonko has introduced the Assistance, Quality, Affordability Act, or AQUA Act.
It would update the Safe Drinking Water Act and provide $500 million dollars toward repairing our national water infrastructure.
"There are as many as ten million pipes in this country in our water infrastructure system that are of lead nature," he said.
Tonko says public health and public safety addressed through our drinking supplies is a human responsibility.
He says we saw what happens when human irresponsibility took hold in Flint, Michigan.
The 500 million for contaminated pipes is part of an overall $21 billion dollar bill.
Slaughter said we need to fully fund lead prevention and removal programs, and make the infrastructure upgrades necessary to keep children and communities safe. Slaughter led a push earlier this year to get more money for a federal lead-abatement program.
"Many people believe the dangers from lead poisoning are behind us because we've banned the use lead-based paint, and also in gasoline nearly 40 years ago, in 1978. But nothing could be further from the truth," she said.
Here's Tonko on our infrastructure needs: