WASHINGTON—Today, as a means of preventing the lead poisoning crisis in Flint, Michigan from spreading to Connecticut, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced new legislation to lower the cost to homeowners in Connecticut and around the country  of cleaning up lead and other toxins in their homes. Murphy’s legislation, the Healthy Homes Tax Credit Act, provides homeowners with a maximum tax credit of $5,000 to pay for lead, radon, or asbestos abatement. Murphy, a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, introduced the Healthy Homes Tax Credit Act after meeting with local public health, housing, and environmental advocates to hear directly about how he can help Connecticut reduce the threat of lead contamination. 

“We’ve got to start thinking about ways to prevent a crisis like Flint from happening in Connecticut,” said Murphy. “In Connecticut, there are still hundreds of thousands of old homes that have lead paint and old pipes, and if we don’t do anything to remove them now, we’re going to pay the price down the road. My Healthy Homes Tax Credit is a simple but smart way that the federal government can tip the balance for homeowners so they can afford to get lead and other dangerous toxins out of their homes. It’s the smartest investment we can make for health of our families.” 

Lead poisoning is the most common public health problem among children, causing irreversible damage to the nervous system, and leading to reduced IQ, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities. However, with the right health and safety programs in place, lead poisoning is entirely preventable. According to the Connecticut Department of Health, any building constructed before 1978 has the potential to be contaminated with lead. However, buildings constructed before 1950 are particularly at risk for having lead pipes or lead-based paint. In Connecticut, a whopping 30% of housing was built before 1950 compared to 19% nationally, and nearly a quarter of Connecticut homes were built in 1939 or earlier. Lead poisoning in Connecticut is also about twice as common among children from low-income families. Asbestos and radon—the other two hazards The Healthy Homes Tax Credit Act targets—are also highly prevalent in Connecticut given the age of the housing stock in the state and the state’s geological makeup. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Murphy is also a cosponsor of the Improved Notification for Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act to speed up public notification by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of any dangers in drinking water.