Bill would require Virginia school systems to develop lead-testing plans for older buildings

[TexasTowelie]

Jeremy McPike, the director of general services for the city of Alexandria, didn’t think the recreation centers, fire stations and other buildings he manages had any lead contamination in their drinking water systems.

But he also realized last year, as the crisis was metastasizing over lead contamination in Flint, Mich., that he had no way to confirm that.

“We could not affirmatively answer whether there were issues or not,” said McPike, also a Democratic state senator who represents the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park as well as part of Prince William County.

“Ethically, I couldn’t say no unless I had data.”

Testing found lead concentrations at alarming levels, in some cases in the “several hundred parts per billion” range, he said.

Read more: http://www.richmond.com/news/bill-would-require-virginia-school-systems-to-develop-lead-testing/article_0f8bc4f8-4a4e-5c22-995e-ecf1bce30fbe.html

[rogue emissary]

1. McPike is my rep and I'm very happy to have voted for him.

He also introduced a bill that would require anyone trying to get on the presidential ballot in Va to have released five years of their taxes.