Civil and Human Rights Coalition Commends Legislation to Aid Flint Families

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement applauding the announcement by Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, and Representative Dan Kildee that they will introduce legislation to help families affected by the Flint water crisis. The legislation will be introduced as an amendment to the Energy Policy and Modernization Act currently pending before the Senate.

“What happened in Flint is an appalling affront to human rights.  The state robbed the people of Flint’s right to local autonomy and, under its faulty governance, caused a public health disaster. This willful and systematic negligence is a moral outrage and its effects will be felt for decades to come.

There is no way to erase this injustice, but the federal government can help to clean up the mess caused by the state of Michigan and help the families who are suffering from the effects of contaminated water. 

We applaud Senators Stabenow and Peters, and Representative Kildee, for offering a bill to help fix this crisis in Michigan and assist the families who were grossly misled and mistreated by their government.  We urge Congress to give the bill an expedited review and to quickly pass it.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.