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Utah House narrowly rejects bill requiring statewide school drinking-water testing
Summary
A proposal to create a baseline lead-testing program for school drinking water and fund a one-time $2 million appropriation failed on the House floor 34-33 after extended debate about costs, coordination and remediation responsibilities.
Representative Kevin Handy brought the House floor a first substitute to House Bill 88 on Feb. 28 proposing statewide baseline testing of school drinking water outlets and a one-time $2,000,000 appropriation for testing costs and coordination. Handy said the measure would require public schools to test drinking fountains and other outlets through the end of calendar year 2023 and thereafter every five years, and that the Division of Drinking Water and local health departments would be partners in the work.
Why it mattered: Handy framed the bill as a public-health step to address lead exposure in children. He cited a 2017 voluntary study of Utah schools by the Division of Drinking Water in which "75% of our public schools participated, and 92% had detectable levels of lead," and reiterated that "there is no acceptable…
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