2009 Senate Joint Resolution 65
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: lead poisoning hazards, lead abatement, and requesting a study.
Whereas, Wisconsin carries a heavy burden from all the lead paint used in years past, consistently ranking among the top ten states for the number of children found to have suffered lead poisoning; and
Whereas, the rate of lead poisoning among children in Wisconsin is persistently higher than the national average; and
Whereas, more than 46,000 children have been reported to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services as lead poisoned since 1996 and every Wisconsin county has reported children who are lead poisoned; and
Whereas, lead poisoning is a housing-based disease, and 33 percent of dwellings in the midwest region of the United States have lead paint hazards; and
Whereas, lead-based paint is the primary source of lead in children's environments; and
Whereas, lead exposure harms a child's ability to learn, to succeed in life, and to stay healthy; and
Whereas, lead poisoning is associated with a greater likelihood of behavior problems like aggression and hyperactivity and a lead-poisoned child is more likely to experience problems in school due to learning difficulties, poor reading skills, and shortened attention span; and
Whereas, there is no safe level of lead in the human body; and
Whereas, children who are poisoned by lead are more likely to have problems as teens with their upright balance that may result in falls or discourage their participation in sports; and
Whereas, lead poisoning continues to affect learning ability as a child ages and is a powerful predictor of school disciplinary problems; and
Whereas, for adults who were poisoned as children, lead poisoning continues to predict negative outcomes, such as commission of violent crimes; and
Whereas, lead in the body can negatively and profoundly affect health throughout the lifespan; and
Whereas, childhood lead poisoning increases the risk of death from stroke and heart attack as adults and may lead to adult kidney disease, diabetes, depression, panic attacks, and cognitive deficits such as memory loss and Alzheimer's disease; and
Whereas, lead can cause reproductive problems in both men and women; and
Whereas, childhood lead poisoning is costly to our community and society as a whole; and
Whereas, lead poisoning is preventable; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
senate, the assembly concurring, That the Wisconsin legislature urges the Wisconsin Implementation and Oversight Committee for Eliminating Lead Poisoning under the Department of Health Services to prepare a document helping to give the legislature guidance on legislation for the 2011-2012 legislative session, proposing: 1) ways that Wisconsin can evaluate the costs borne by Wisconsin's educational and criminal justice systems attributable to childhood lead poisoning so the legislature may evaluate the value of additional investments in efforts to prevent lead poisoning; 2) alternative methods to prevent lead poisoning, including strategies to accelerate Wisconsin's progress at evaluating and abating lead paint hazards in housing; and 3) various sources of funds to achieve those goals; and, be it further
Resolved, That the Wisconsin legislature encourages those departments in state government that have access to data or resources that could assist in preparing this document to collaborate with the “Wisconsin Implementation and Oversight Committee for Eliminating Lead Poisoning in Wisconsin" where possible; and, be it further
Resolved, That this report be submitted by January 1, 2011, to the standing committees of the legislature dealing with the public health and welfare of Wisconsin citizens.
