Bartlett bill protecting water in Indiana schools on its way to governor for final approval

INDIANAPOLIS — Legislation on its way to Gov. Mike Pence for final approval contains language authored by State Rep. John Bartlett (D-Indianapolis) that will help to ensure there is safe drinking water in Indiana’s public schools.

Senate Bill 93, which contains a series of education reform issues, includes a proposal originally offered by Bartlett that would make sure every school building in our state contains safe drinking water from a system approved by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). An Indiana House-Senate conference committee report on SB 93 has been approved in both chambers.

“The crisis facing Flint, Michigan, has made it clear to many of us the need to be vigilant in protecting our children from the hazards caused by lead in the water,” Bartlett said. “Here in Indiana, we have had our own problems with lead in school water up at the Eastern Howard School Corporation in Greentown.

“I could not tolerate any kind of situation that puts the lives of our children at risk,” he continued. “That is why I pursued legislation that will emphasize the need for testing in our schools.”

The final language that appears in SB 93 is scaled back from Bartlett’s original proposal, which required that the water in every school building across Indiana be tested once every two years.

“Of course, I would prefer the tougher testing standards because it would keep officials’ feet to the fire about safe drinking water, and it would have made sure that we checked these things on a regular basis, instead of simply responding when there is a crisis,” Bartlett said. “The version contained in SB 93 does say that every public school building shall contain safe drinking water from a public water system.

“What this language does is provide a clear public policy statement from the Indiana General Assembly that we will not tolerate anything like what happened in Flint and Greentown from becoming a regular occurrence in our state,” he added. “Our children are our most precious resource, and we cannot afford to take half-actions in safeguarding those who are dear to us.”