FLINT — U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-05), chief deputy whip of the House Democratic Caucus, today applauded recent action in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide $10 million in continued funding for the Flint Registry, a program that connects locals to health and wellness programs.
In Flint yesterday, Kildee was joined by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, city of Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, to encourage Flint families to sign up for the Flint Registry and additionally urge the U.S. Senate to act on funding for the Flint Registry. Peters, along with U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, are now advocating for Kildee's House-passed legislation in the U.S. Senate.
The Flint Registry was created by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2016. Funding for the registry was set to expire in July 2021. Due to Kildee's advocacy, along with Sens. Peters and Stabenow, $10 million in new funding would fund the Flint Registry through September 2023.
"The Flint Registry is already playing a critical role in Flint's recovery by connecting families and children to health care and other services they need to minimize the impact of lead on their health," Kildee said. "I am grateful that Congress established the Flint Registry and I am pleased to have secured an additional $10 million to ensure that this important public health program remains available to Flint families. I appreciate the continued leadership of Dr. Mona, Mayor Neeley and our two Senators, Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, who will help pass this critical legislation in the U.S. Senate."
"From the moment we first got the Flint Registry funding, we have been working to renew that funding. 14,000 referrals have been made from the Flint Registry for critical services like early education, Medicaid expansion and emergency food assistance," Hanna-Attisha said. "We would not be here without those congressional supported dollars. It took incredible leadership and perseverance of our U.S. Representatives and U.S Senators."
"Time and time again, Flint has proven that it is resilient and will come back stronger than ever before. That's why it is critical that we support Flint families every step of the way," Peters said. "The Flint Registry is a proven success and has already provided referrals to thousands of Flint residents. I'm going to continue working in the Senate to ensure the Flint Registry has the support and resources it needs."
"Flint still finds itself at the intersection of crisis. We need the tools and the assets of a registry to continue to support the families that have been victimized through the water crisis and now through a pandemic and now through social unrest," Neeley said. "We have a strong, intact spirit in this community. We are going to maintain our resilience. We are going to maintain this registry that does such good work for this community."
Congressman Kildee has been an advocate for protecting Flint families that have been affected by the water crisis. Earlier this year, Congressman Kildee introduced the Flint Registry Reauthorization Act to reauthorize the Flint Registry. In December 2016, Congress passed $170 million in federal aid, championed by Congressman Kildee and Sens. Stabenow and Peters, directed at helping Flint recover from the city's ongoing water crisis, which included funding for the Flint Registry.
