Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I am pleased to join with Senator Frank Lautenberg to introduce the Clean Coastal Environment and Public Health Act of 2011 to help protect the millions of Americans who utilize public beaches each day. Unfortunately, every year many beaches go unmonitored or face severe delays in receiving test results of levels of contamination in coastal waters. Without proper monitoring and notification, thousands of citizens risk illness due to growing contamination of our coastal waters. Beach closings are a far too regular occurrence along the 52 public Lake Michigan beaches in my home State of Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there were 579 beach closures or contamination advisories last year, an 8 percent increase from 2008. Beach closures greatly affect the health of our children and families-- a recent University of Chicago study showed swim bans at Chicago's beaches due to E. coli levels cost the local economy $2.4 million in lost revenue every year. This bipartisan legislation requires rapid testing methods to detect water contamination in 4 hours or less, faster notification and decision about closures and advisories within 2 hours. These measures can help save millions of Americans from hospital bills or unnecessary beach closings. But we must not ignore the more dangerous toxin which has far reaching consequences for the most vulnerable members our society--our children.…”