Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

Floor Speech

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - September 10, 2009)

By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. JOHANNS, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. FRANKEN):

S. 1658. A bill to establish the Council on Healthy Housing, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Mr. REED. Mr. President, I introduce with my colleague Senator JOHANNS, the Healthy Housing Council Act. I thank Senators BOXER, MERKLEY, and FRANKEN for joining us as original cosponsors of this bill.

This legislation would establish an independent interagency Council on Healthy Housing in the executive branch in order to improve the coordination of existing but fragmented programs, thereby enhancing the abilities of families to access Government programs and services in a more efficient and effective manner.

Many factors impact our health; however, our environment can be one of the most critical determinants to our overall health and well-being. That is why the issue of healthy housing is so important.

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are more than 5.7 million households living in conditions with moderate or severe hazards such as incomplete cooking facilities, inadequate plumbing, the presence of mice and rats, and crumbling roofs and foundations. This count of moderate or severe physical problems does not even include significant lead-based paint hazards, which persist in 23 million, or approximately four times as many, households. Sadly, housing-related health hazards take a heavy toll on Americans, resulting in 11,000 unintentional injury deaths, 3,000 deaths in house fires, and 21,000 radon-associated lung cancer deaths each year.

Low-income and minority individuals and families are disproportionately affected by housing-related health hazards. We know that residents of poorly designed, constructed, or maintained housing are at greater risk for serious illnesses and injuries, including cancer, carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, falls, rodent bites, childhood lead poisoning, and asthma. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-Hispanic Blacks and Mexican-Americans are three times as likely to have elevated blood-lead levels, compared to non-Hispanic whites. About 1.2 million housing units with significant lead-based paint hazards house low-income families with children under 6 years of age.

If the disease and injury toll on our Nation's individuals and families, particularly our children, is not enough to demonstrate the need for coordinated Federal Government action on housing-related health hazards, consider some of the annual costs.

According to research at the Mount Sinai Children's Environmental Health Center, annual costs for environmentally attributable childhood diseases in the U.S. total an estimated $54.9 billion. That number is approximately 3 percent of total health care costs. Indeed, as our housing deteriorates, our health care system bears the brunt of the associated injuries and illnesses.

The good news is that low-cost preventative measures can have dramatic effects. For example, properly installing and maintaining a smoke alarm can cut the risk of deaths due to fire in half. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that providing healthy housing to American families will help prevent 20 million asthma cases, 240,000 incidents of elevated blood-lead levels in young children, 14,000 burn injuries, and 21,000 radon-associated lung cancer deaths.

While there are many programs in place to address housing-related health hazards, these programs are fragmented and spread across many agencies, making it difficult for at-risk families to access assistance or to receive the comprehensive information they need.

To address this situation, our bill authorizes $750,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 to 2014 for an independent Council on Healthy Housing, which would bring Federal, State, and local government representatives, as well as industry and nonprofit representatives, to the table at least once a year.

The council would review, monitor, and evaluate existing housing, health, energy, and environmental programs. The council would then make recommendations to reduce duplication, ensure collaboration, identify best practices, and develop a comprehensive healthy housing research agenda.

In order to ensure that members of the public are informed of and benefit from the council's activities, the council would hold biannual stakeholder meetings, maintain an updated website, and work to unify healthy housing data collection and maintenance.

While there is a growing consensus on ways to help communities make housing healthier, the lack of coordination has made it difficult for the public to access this information and related research and data. By creating this council, we can provide a useful forum for health and housing experts, whether in the Government, private, or nonprofit sector, to share their experiences, successes, and lessons for the future.

The Healthy Housing Council Act will help us embark on a path to assure that affordable and decent homes are also healthy. I hope my colleagues will join me and Senator JOHANNS, BOXER, MERKLEY, and FRANKEN in supporting this bipartisan bill and other healthy housing efforts.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 1658

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