State Rep. Lynn Afendoulis, of Grand Rapids Township, testified this week in a Michigan House committee on her plan to ensure schools and daycares have lead-free, safe drinking water.

Afendoulis’ plan, part of a bipartisan package, will require the installation of hi-tech filtered drinking fountains in Michigan’s schools and child care centers. Afendoulis said the measure is needed because schools and childcare facilities are not required to test drinking water on a regular basis. Because water remains stagnant on weekends and during breaks, results are unreliable, and testing does not ensure water is lead-free.

“When we send our children to school or daycare, we expect them to be safe,” Afendoulis said after testifying in the House natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee. “Our children and families, as well as staff members working in these buildings, deserve to know that their health is not jeopardized every time they take a drink of water. This plan offers an immediate answer with long-term results.”

In addition, there is strong evidence that these filters eliminate other contaminants, like some forms of PFAS, which, she said, “poses a health and community hazard in my district.”

Clean water is a “basic human need,” Afendoulis said. “There is no safe amount of lead for human consumption. I am committed to fighting for the people in my district and throughout the state to assure Michiganders that our communities have clean drinking water in their schools and childcare facilities.”

HBs 5104-05 remain in the Natural Resources Committee for further consideration.