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Improved drinking water standards, veteran care key components in Rep. Howell bill
RELEASE|October 16, 2019

State Rep. Gary Howell (R-North Branch) and State Rep. Joe Tate (D-Detroit) testified this week in support of a plan to protect veterans by requiring stricter testing of drinking water at veteran care facilities in Michigan.

House Bills 4742 and 4743 are part of a bipartisan reform package addressing water quality across the board – from improving municipal safeguards and oversight to tightening up environmental protections and conservation.

“Our veterans put their lives on the line to defend the freedoms we enjoy every day and they deserve a quality level of care,” said Howell. “This bill provides specific protocols for water testing at veteran care facilities. This framework will protect the health of our veterans as we continue to encounter some of the issues we’ve been seeing throughout the state related to our water.”

HB 4742 and 4743 will require water suppliers to sample veteran care facilities periodically for lead. The sampling must be conducted at all buildings where residents and staff are present. Results of the testing must be made available to the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

If the results are high in lead or copper, the drinking water tap must be immediately taken out of service and an alternative drinking water source must be provided.

As chair of the House Natural Resources Committee, Howell has emphasized ensuring safe drinking water across the state through important updates to the Safe Drinking Water Act and other areas of law. This emphasis is in response to the condition of Michigan’s water infrastructure systems and the detection of lead contamination at sites across the state.

The proposals – HBs 4742-50 – remain under committee consideration.

PHOTO INFORMATION: State Rep. Gary Howell (left), of North Branch, provides testimony on House Bills 4742 and 4743 before the House Natural Resources Committee. The plan protects Michigan’s veterans through improved testing standards for drinking water at veteran care facilities. Howell was joined by state Rep. Joe Tate, of Detroit, who has also sponsored the legislation. Representative Howell is a U.S. Army veteran and Representative Tate is a Marine Corps veteran.

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