Michigan LCV hails signing of bipartisan “Filter First” legislation to protect kids from lead

LANSING – The Michigan League of Conservation Voters today issued the following statement after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed “Filter First” legislation into law that will require the installation of water filters in all schools and childcare centers to protect kids from lead contamination in drinking water. 

The three bills, House Bills 4342 and 4341 and Senate Bill 88 require schools and childcare centers to install filtered-faucets, develop a drinking water management plan, and conduct routine sampling and testing to ensure safe and accessible drinking water for children.

“Filter First legislation is a monumental step toward protecting kids from lead contamination when at school and sets a national model for how we can combat lead contamination for our children,” said Bentley Johnson, federal government affairs director for the Michigan League of Conservation Voters. “Protecting our kids’ health and ensuring they have safe water to drink are kitchen table issues. We applaud members of the legislature and Governor Whitmer for passing these critical protections into law so our kids have safe water to drink at schools and childcare centers.”