Brown, Tlaib Introduce Bills to Remove Poisonous Lead from Homes, Pipes, and Walls

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Shontel Brown (OH-11) and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) have introduced two bills to address the lead poisoning crisis in Ohio, Michigan, and across the country. Together, the GET THE LEAD OUT Act and the Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (REPLACE) Act address lead in walls, pipes, and water taps, creating a comprehensive package to remove lead.  

The GET THE LEAD OUT Act creates a new federal grant program to remove lead from residential drinking water, with grants supporting the replacement of lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The REPLACE Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe abatement programs to better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts. 

Lead exposure can cause significant health problems, including anemia, brain damage, learning and behavior problems, heart and kidney problems, and more. Children and pregnant women are at particular risk. Among racial groups, Black children have the highest exposure risk in the United States. Click here for more information on lead health risks from the EPA and CDC. 

“For decades, we've known that lead is dangerous and we’ve had the tools to address it. Yet in Cleveland and communities across the country, too many families are still living with lead paint and lead pipes that puts their health at risk every day. It is long past time for the federal government to move faster and ensure every family and child has a safe place to live. That’s why I’m proud to introduce the GET THE LEAD OUT Act and the REPLACE Act to help remove lead from our homes and our drinking water. It’s time to bring the urgency this crisis deserves and get the lead out once and for all,” said Congresswoman Shontel Brown.  

“Our children and families deserve safe homes free of lead hazards,” said Congresswoman Tlaib. “There is no safe level of lead–not in water and not in paint–yet many of my residents unknowingly live in homes with these health threats. These two important bills will overhaul federal lead abatement programs to help identify and remediate lead-based paint, dust, and pipes, ensuring all of our homes are safe for children and our residents.”

Congresswoman Brown and Congresswoman Tlaib are both members of the Get the Lead Out Caucus, which is chaired and co-founded by Tlaib. Cleveland and Detroit have some of the highest lead exposure rates in the country. In 2025, 14% of children tested in Cleveland had elevated lead levels in their blood. Wayne County, Michigan and Cuyahoga County, Ohio are both lead exposure hotspots with some of the highest exposure rates in the country.  

The GET THE LEAD OUT Act and the REPLACE Act are endorsed by the Ohio Lead Free Kids Coalition and the Ohio Environmental Council. These bills are part of Congresswoman Brown’s Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda, a legislative package announced by Brown in June. 

Bill Information

The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026: The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026 would create a new federal grant program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to replace lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The legislation would create a broad federal framework to address lead in drinking water and housing by funding removal of lead-based pipe and tap hazards, establishing training and certification requirements, directing federal standards and state programs, and integrating lead plumbing remediation into major housing programs. Brown’s legislation creates new authorities and financing mechanisms to drive national action on residential lead plumbing hazards. Bill text here

The Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (REPLACE) Act: The REPLACE Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe removal programs within the federal government. This legislation would amend existing HUD and Safe Drinking Water Act authorities to strengthen lead-paint hazard remediation in housing, improve local implementation capacity, and better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts. Bill text here

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