As the U.S. House Oversight Committee commenced with hearings on the Flint crisis Wednesday morning in Washington, D.C., Gov. Rick Snyder announced that his upcoming budget proposal will include a $30 million request for water bill repayments for residents of Flint.
Snyder also signed a $28-million appropriation bill to send relief to Flint at the Michigan Press Association Legislative Luncheon in Grand Rapids Jan. 29. He emphasized that while he hopes that the Flint water crisis will be resolved within three months, science — not policy — will determine when the water is safe to drink again.
“We would all hope sooner, rather than later,” Snyder said to the room full of legislators and press, “but it’s not based on time, it’s based on science, facts and caution.”
According to the Governor’s office, the relief bill designates funds from the state’s 2015-16 budget to supply free bottled water and faucet filters for residents of Flint; place nurses in schools to monitor student health; replace water fixtures in schools, day cares, nursing homes, and hospitals; and treat any children who have high lead levels in the blood using diagnostic testing and nursing care, among other goals.
“I agree with Flint residents, they should not have to pay for water they cannot drink,” Snyder said in a statement regarding his new budget proposal Wednesday. “My budget recommendation will include the request for the state to make payments to the city’s water system for residential bills going back to April 2014.”
President Barack Obama declared Flint in a state of emergency last month after high levels of lead were found in resident’s blood and tap water. State and federal authorities agencies have both accused each other of negligence in connection with the crisis.
“This is a failing at every level,” said U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), opening the hearings in Washington. “The public has a right to be outraged. Outrage doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) along with Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), proposed legislation in Congress last week to appropriate $400 million in federal funding to resolve the crisis in Flint, along with $200 million to assist existing health issues of children and adults that have been exposed to lead.
“The water crisis in Flint is an immense failure on the part of the State of Michigan to protect the health and safety of the city’s residents,” said U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) in a recent press release. “While the state must accept full responsibility, the federal government can leverage investments the state needs to make.”
Snyder has also called for commissions to further investigate infrastructure problems in Michigan.
“Let’s use Flint as an opportunity to address the problem of infrastructure in our state,” Snyder said Friday. “There was a failure at the local, state, and federal level… Let’s not let the rest of the country that has so many goals and objectives define us.”
