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 The bill passed 416-2. It was crafted by Michigan Representatives
Dan Kildee, a Democrat, and Fred Upton, a Republican, in the wake of
Flint's drinking water crisis.
The measure requires the Environmental Protection Agency to notify
the public when concentrations of lead in drinking water rise above
mandated levels and to create a plan to improve communication
between the agency, utilities, states, and consumers.
In 2014, under a state-appointed emergency manager, Flint, a city of
100,000, switched water supplies to the Flint River, from Detroit's
system as part of a plan to save money in the poverty-stricken city.
 The more corrosive river water leached lead from aging pipes.
Thousands of children are believed to have ingested dangerous levels
of lead, a toxin that can harm brains and cause other health
problems.
The bill "wouldn't have prevented Flint, but it would have caught it
far sooner," Kildee, who is from Flint, said after the vote. The
measure must be passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack
Obama before becoming law.
Other measures in Congress to provide Flint with millions of dollars
in aid to deal with the crisis face an uncertain future. Kildee has
also introduced a bill to provide about $700 million in federal aid,
with a match in funding from Michigan. That and other measures
languished as Democrats and Republicans struggled to agree on where
the funds would come from.
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The Department of Agriculture said on Thursday it would temporarily
allow Michigan to use funds from its Women, Infants and Children
program for low income citizens to conduct lead testing. The
department estimated some 3,800 people could get tested in this way.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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