DOVER — The City Council unanimously approved Dover Mayor Karen Weston giving the city’s support to pass a state bill that would provide universal lead testing to young children if it becomes law.
The approval at Wednesday's City Council meeting gave Weston the OK to sign onto a letter of support drafted by Claremont Mayor Charlene Lovett in support of Senate Bill 247. Lovett is soliciting support from all the mayors of New Hampshire cities.
“Collectively, we represent 12 of the 21 communities identified as being at the highest risk for childhood lead poisoning,” Lovett writes in a letter addressed to Senate President Chuck Morse, R-Salem. “Every month, children under the age of 6 are
being poisoned by lead in our communities. Because it is a neurotoxin, the effects of lead poisoning are permanent and irreversible. However, it is an issue that is entirely preventable.”
The bill, which passed the New Hampshire House on Jan. 3, would require testing for children 1 and 2 years old; change the blood lead levels that trigger notification to parents/guardians and property owners; it would establish a program for loans for lead remediation projects; require insurance to cover blood lead level testing; require testing for lead in drinking water at schools and child care facilities; and, it would change requirements regarding notifications on property sales.
The bill passed the Senate last March. The House passed an amended version on Jan. 3, which will require the two chambers with hammering out a final version if it is to move forward.
Gov. Chris Sununu, R-Newfields, said he would sign if the bill got to his desk. "New Hampshire has one of the oldest housing stocks in the nation, which puts us all at a heightened risk of lead poisoning,” he said in a statement.
Lovett’s letter, which will be sent on Friday to Morse — one of seven senators who voted against the bill last year — urges statewide leadership on the issue that she says will not only protect children but could help lower other costs, like special education costs in the long run.
“Case studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between childhood lead poisoning and special education needs, increasing special educational costs which are reflected in higher property taxes,” Lovett wrote.