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New Jersey Lawmakers Approve $10 Million For Lead Control Fund

TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New Jersey state lawmakers on Monday approved legislation requiring the state to put $10 million into a dormant lead control fund.

The move by the Democrat-controlled Assembly and Senate comes after Republican Gov. Chris Christie vetoed identical legislation earlier this year. Christie has cited existing lead-abatement programs that spend millions of dollars each year.

He also has said he is not opposed to funding the account, but thinks the issue should be addressed in the budget process.

The measure would fund the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund. Democrats want to replenish funding for the program, which began in 2004 and was funded by a tax on paint cans.

Among other things, it provided financial assistance to property owners who wanted to safely remove lead paint.

``Over the past few months we have been reminded of how damaging exposure to lead can be for young children,'' said Democratic Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth).

Despite gains in reducing lead poisoning during the last 20 years, there is renewed debate over lead in New Jersey, in part because of the crisis involving lead-tainted water in Flint, Michigan.

Last week, worries about lead hit the headlines in New Jersey, when the Newark School District turned off water at 30 schools after test results revealed unsafe lead levels.

But in that case, health officials said lead from old pipes, and not the water in Newark, was the problem there.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently set stricter standards, halving the amount of lead in a child's blood that's considered dangerous.

That change increased the number of children at risk in New Jersey from more than 800 to more than 5,000 in 2013.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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