FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lead-Free New Jersey Statement on Enactment of Bills to Address Lead Exposure
CONTACT
Jael Davis | Lead-Free New Jersey program manager
jdavis@njfuture.org
TRENTON, July 22 —Lead-Free NJ Co-Chairs Rashan Prailow and Debbie Mans released the following statement on Governor Murphy’s enactment of three laws to put New Jersey at the national forefront of childhood lead poisoning prevention, including:
S1147—Requires lead paint inspection on certain residential rental property, including upon tenant turnover; establishes lead-based paint hazard education program; appropriates $3,900,000.
A5343—Requires public community water systems to inventory and replace lead service lines within 10 years; provides for recoupment of costs by investor-owned public water systems.
A5407—Removes restrictions on special assessments and bond issuances for replacement of residential lead service lines; revises budgetary requirements for operators of certain water systems.
“These laws are a significant step toward a lead-free New Jersey. All of our communities deserve drinking water and homes that are safe from lead exposure, and with these laws that will require the replacement of every lead service line in the state and remediation of lead-based paint in rental units, we are on our way to making this a reality,” said Debbie Mans. “There is still more to do, including ensuring that those rental units that will be safe from lead-based paint are also safe from lead-contaminated drinking water and extending these protections to for-sale housing.”
“Today’s announcement underscores the importance of community-led advocacy,” said Rashan Prailow. “We know that children living in lower-income communities and children of color are disproportionately impacted by lead exposure, and it’s these communities that have been at the forefront calling for solutions. All New Jerseyans deserve clean, safe drinking water and lead-safe homes, and these laws will help us get there.”
Lead-Free NJ was founded in 2021 as an equitable and inclusive collaborative. The organization works to ensure that New Jersey’s children are free from lead poisoning and that our environment is lead-safe by advocating for changes to state and local policy. Lead-Free NJ seeks to eliminate racial and economic inequities by focusing on legacy lead hazards in low-income communities and/or communities of color, while also creating the conditions for children to be free from lead poisoning statewide.