WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) released the following statement on Saturday after voting to pass the bipartisan Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act. The bill authorizes critical Army Corps of Engineers projects throughout the country and contains $170 million of direct emergency assistance for communities facing threats from lead in drinking water, including Flint, Michigan. Further, the bill authorizes $60 million for lead reduction projects, including grants to low-income homeowners to replace lead service lines. The bill also includes language introduced by Murphy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that will return the Old Stonington Wharf back to Stonington, Connecticut, for future development. The U.S. Senate passed WIIN by a vote of 78 to 21, sending it to President Obama’s desk to be signed into law.

“I’m glad Republicans and Democrats came together tonight to pass this bill. Our coastlines and waterways are the lifeblood of our state’s economy, and this bill authorizes significant money to improve harbors and ports all along our coast. Bottom line, Connecticut’s shoreline gets a big boost from this bill,” said Murphy. “This bill cuts through loads of red tape so Stonington can start to redevelop their wharf. That's a big deal.”   

Murphy added, “The bill also funds lead remediation in Flint, a community that has been ravaged by the massive contamination of their water supply. There is also money that can be accessed by Connecticut to help us keep fighting to lower our lead poisoning levels in children. This bill is far from perfect, but it's a good step forward in rebuilding our coastlines and protecting our kids.”

As the author of the Healthy Homes Tax Credit, Murphy has been working to reduce lead poisoning and to prevent the lead poisoning crisis in Flint from spreading to Connecticut. In Connecticut, a whopping 30% of housing was built before 1950, and therefore is most at risk for lead contamination. Nearly 1,500 children in Connecticut suffered from lead poisoning in 2014. 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.