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<section article="gen" article_name="Environment" number="6-1503" title_number="6" title_name="Toxic, Carcinogenic, and Flammable Substances" subtitle_number="15" subtitle_name="Lead in Drinking Water">
  <level label="a">
    <text>The Department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, shall establish and administer a grant program to provide grants to local school systems to assist with the costs associated with implementing remedial measures to:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Address any findings of elevated levels of lead in drinking water outlets in school buildings;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Install drinking water outlets in school buildings that do not have functioning drinking water outlets due to the presence of lead; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Repair, reconfigure, or replace the outlet plumbing or premises plumbing contributing to the presence of lead in drinking water.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The Department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Establish application procedures for the grant program;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Require each application to include a plan for implementing remedial measures, including:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Whether the location of the lead affecting the drinking water outlet is in the service line, premises plumbing, outlet plumbing, or outlet; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Costs associated with the plan;</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Award grants on a competitive basis and based on the availability of funding to each local school system that:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Applies for a grant in accordance with this section; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Demonstrates that the local school system has completed comprehensive testing for the presence of lead in drinking water outlets in school buildings in accordance with § 6–1502 of this subtitle; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Consistent with any applicable federal law or requirement, prioritize applications based on factors determined by the Department, including:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The applicant’s level of financial need;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The percentage of drinking water outlets that require remediation; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The cost–effectiveness of the proposed remedial measures, with preference given to proposals for remedial measures that require minimal upkeep, including the installation of water filling stations.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If the Department or the State Department of Education receives any federal funding for addressing the presence of lead in drinking water outlets in school buildings, the funding shall be made available to award grants in accordance with this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>In addition to any funding provided under paragraph (1) of this subsection, funding for the grant program consists of:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Money appropriated in the State budget for the grant program; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Any additional money made available to the grant program from any public or private source.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The Department, in consultation with the State Department of Education, may adopt regulations to implement the requirements of this section.</text>
  </level>
</section>
