Will The House And Senate Come Together On Flint?

The House and Senate have each passed legislation that would send aid to Flint, MI. Will they be able to finalize a measure before this congressional session is over?

House Speaker Paul Ryan says yes, although he did not address how large he expects the aid bill to be. “I don’t negotiate in the press,” Ryan said, per The Detroit News.

Although both chambers have approved Flint aid legislation, the proposals need to be reconciled before Flint receives aid. At this point, the measures include key differences. The House version includes $170 million for communities such as Flint facing water contamination crises. The Senate bill sets the figure at $220 million, of which Flint would quality for $100 million.

“The two chambers are expected to reconcile their differences after the Nov. 8 election,” The Detroit News reported.

“The House Flint amendment contains $50 million less than the Senate's package, is specific to Flint and is only an authorization — not an appropriation,” The Hill reported.

Ryan gave his take on the process, per The Detroit News: “The point is, the House passed the bill, and the Senate passed a bill. They’re very similar, and that is the right way to address a very legitimate problem, which is Flint.”

“That bill is making its way through,” Ryan said. “It will get done in December or November, and I’m confident Flint will be addressed there.”

The consequences of the lead-contamination crisis in Flint continue to mount. Residents now face an outbreak of shigellosis, a bacterial illness, since residents are afraid to use their tap water and may be washing their hands less.

“Residents have been relying on bottled water to drink at home but still recoil from using tap water for other purposes, such as washing and cooking. They have adapted their personal hygiene habits, including where and how they take showers,” The New York Times reported.

“Residents are also using baby wipes, which they get free at bottled-water-distribution centers, to clean their hands. But that may be contributing to the current transmission of the shigella bacteria, because they are not chlorinated and do not kill the bacteria,” the report said.