On Tuesday, January 26th, the house education committee convened to discuss house bill eleven thirty nine, regarding the provision of safe drinking water for public schools.

The bill requires lead testing for water sources in all elementary and secondary schools that were built or had new plumbing replaced before 2016; and to have those test results released to the public. If tests reveal lead concentration that exceeds five parts per billion, the school must adopt an action plan to address the contamination. The testing will be conducted by the department of health in accordance with deadlines and certain requirements.