# Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act of 2022

This bill tackles a serious health problem in affordable housing: lead contamination. Lead is a toxic metal that can cause permanent brain damage in children, even at low exposure levels. The bill requires the federal government to help remove lead from housing that receives government assistance—places where low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities live.

The bill specifically targets housing that gets federal funding through programs like public housing, Section 8 vouchers, and other HUD-assisted properties. It directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create a comprehensive plan to identify which assisted housing units contain lead hazards and to prioritize fixing the worst contamination first. The government would need to set deadlines for removing lead paint, lead pipes, and other lead-based materials from these homes. This is especially important because older buildings built before lead paint was banned in 1978 are most likely to have this problem, and many affordable housing units are in older buildings.

The practical impact is that families living in assisted housing would have safer homes with reduced lead exposure. Children wouldn't face the risk of lead poisoning from their living environment, which could prevent learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and other serious health issues. For landlords and housing authorities, the bill creates obligations to test for lead and make repairs, though it also provides federal support to help cover these costs. Essentially, this bill says that people living in government-assisted housing deserve the same protection from lead hazards that wealthier families can afford to provide for themselves.

Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act of 2022

Duckworth, Tammy

Get the Lead Out of Assisted Housing Act of 2022 This bill addresses the removal of lead from drinking water in federally assisted housing. Specifically, the bill <ul> <li>requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to require specified testing and remediation with respect to water service lines containing lead; </li> <li>authorizes HUD to inspect all sources of lead contamination in federally assisted housing and to mitigate sources of lead exposure; </li> <li>establishes a grant program for states and local governments to create inventories of water service lines containing lead and to test for lead in the drinking water at child care facilities, schools, and public water fountains; and </li> <li>allows recipients of certain HUD assistance to use such assistance to replace water fixtures and service lines containing lead. </li></ul>