WASHINGTON—Congressman Dan Kildee, Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, recently applauded the advancement of his bipartisan legislation to support the Flint Registry for the next decade through the House Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee. Kildee’s legislation, the Flint Registry Reauthorization Act, would provide $50 million for the Registry over the next decade. The legislation now moves to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration.
“The Flint Registry continues to play a critical role in Flint’s recovery,” Kildee said. “By connecting impacted families and children to the services they need, the Flint Registry is improving the lives of those exposed to lead-contaminated water,. That’s why this legislation is supported by every member of Congress from Michigan, Republicans and Democrats. I’m grateful to Chairman Pallone and Chairwoman Eshoo for their support of this important funding. I will continue working with Democrats and Republicans in Congress to maintain support for this important public health program.”
In December 2016, Congress passed $170 million in federal aid, championed by Congressman Kildee, to help Flint recover from the city’s ongoing water crisis, including to the establishment of the Flint Lead Registry. The Flint Registry is a community-based effort to identify individuals exposed to lead during the water crisis and improve their health and development through connections to health care and other resources. To date, the Flint Registry has enrolled over 20,000 people and completed nearly 30,000 referrals, connecting Flint families to critical services like health care, nutrition, early education, lead elimination and more.
“The Flint Registry has proven to be a powerful tool to understand, measure, and improve the lives of not only the Flint community, but communities everywhere that continue to suffer from preventable lead exposure,” said Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, director, MSU–Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative.
“I applaud Congressman Kildee’s steadfast leadership for continuing to champion this critical public health infrastructure in Congress,” Hanna-Attisha added.
“Our organization has been a consistent partner of the Flint Registry from the start and will continue to participate to assure the best health outcomes for our community,” said Lawrence Reynolds, M.D., Greater Flint Health Coalition’s Interim President & CEO.
“Since we are located in Flint, we understand the Registry is not just a resource for the people and organizations we serve, but also for our staff who consumed the contaminated water during that time,” Reynolds added. “The Registry’s multifaceted services are essential to addressing the long term needs of our community as we recover from lead exposure. I appreciate Congressman Kildee’s continued support for community health programs in Flint.”
In 2020, Congressman Kildee secured $10 million in continued funding for the Flint Registry to continue protecting Flint families that have been affected by the water crisis when it was at risk of running out of funding.
