Menendez bill tackles lead poisoning in low-income housing

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez has co-sponsored a bill that would help reduce lead poisoning in children living in federally assisted housing.

The New Jersey Democrat says the proposal would significantly lower the amount of lead in a child's blood that is considered dangerous. Such a change would help determine when landlords must begin lead remediation efforts or relocate children and their families from a lead risk, among other efforts.

The legislation would apply to public housing projects and private homes whose occupants receive money through voucher programs. It was influenced in part by new lead poisoning standards set by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in 2012.

Menendez introduced the bill along with Sen. Richard Durbin, a fellow Democrat from Illinois.