Legislation Helps Schools Develop Water Infrastructure
Legislation Helps Schools Develop Water Infrastructure
Sacramento, CA – The State Assembly yesterday unanimously approved Assemblyman Anthony Rendon’s (D-Lakewood) legislation that assists schools with their safe drinking water needs.
“In 2013, California declared a ‘Human Right to Water,’ affirming a state priority to have universal access to safe, clean, and affordable water,” said Rendon, author of Proposition 1, the $7.1 billion water bond voters approved in November 2014. “Now is the time to invest in the health of our children and the integrity of the water systems they rely on at school.”
Assembly Bill 496 addresses the issue of safe drinking water in schools by charging the Department of Education to develop a one-stop shop for school districts to find resources and funding for water quality and facilities improvements.
Recent studies show contaminated water supplies plague schools systems at a startling rate due to limited funding for retrofits. However, school districts are often unaware of the many state and federal funding streams available to them for water infrastructure needs, highlighting the need for a centralized information center that AB 496 institutes.
Assemblyman Anthony Rendon is serving in his second term representing the 63rd Assembly District, which includes the cities and communities of Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens, Lakewood, North Long Beach, Lynwood, Maywood, Paramount, and South Gate. Rendon is chairman of the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce and serves on the following committees: Water, Parks and Wildlife; Natural Resources; Public Employees, Retirement and Social Security; and Appropriations.