One thing that was painfully clear as the 2000 legislative session came to a close early last summer, was that proposals regarding the hazards of lead paint were so complicated that they were not going to be easily approved.
The lead paint issue came and went last year without any resolution. Sen. Thomas Izzo’s “Act Relating to Lead Hazard Control and Mitigation” never made it to a full General Assembly vote. The bill would have eliminated the current “innocent owner” statute and ultimately lower financial risks for property owners who properly maintain their buildings.
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The problems of lead paint have not — and will not — go away.
With the 2001 legislative session just weeks away, there appears some concern as to whether lead paint legislation will re-emerge, much less be approved.
Rhode Island’s housing stock is among the oldest in the nation and our children – particularly those in urban communities – are suffering as a result. These properties need to be cleaned up. It is up to our elected leaders to find a way to make that happen.
Gerald L. Zimmerman, the National Association of Independent Insurers’ (NAII) New England counsel, said after the 2000 legislative session: “The whole purpose of lead paint legislation is to help sick children get better, and prevent healthy children from being exposed to lead poisoning. Perhaps next year the plaintiff lawyers and the real estate groups will put aside their own interests for the larger good”
Zimmerman has a point – but we are quick to acknowledge that the lawyers and real estate interests have legitimate concerns also.
But everyone agrees there is a significant problem out there. Now it is up to the legislature to hone their skills of diplomacy and find a way to fix it.
