BILL REQ. #:  S-0163.1 

Read first time 02/20/2003.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to lead-based paint activities; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that public health hazards associated with environmental lead exposure represent a significant and preventable public health problem. Lead negatively affects every system of the body. It is harmful to individuals of all ages and is especially harmful to children, fetuses, and adults of child-bearing age. The effects of lead on a child's cognitive, behavioral, and developmental abilities may necessitate large expenditures of public funds for health care and special education. The irreversible damage to children and subsequent expenditures could be avoided if exposure to lead is reduced.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The department of health is directed to implement a public health education program aimed at reducing childhood exposure to lead in residential settings. The program will continue the current efforts of the department to identify areas around the state where lead exposure poses a threat to children and families, and will provide information, education, and training to areas of concern. The program will especially focus on older housing stock, and the residential hazards of lead-based paint. The department is directed to seek federal funding for the lead hazards education project and to operate it using these funds. The department is not required to implement the public health lead hazard education project if federal funds are not obtained for this purpose in the biennium ending July 1, 2005.