WASHINGTON U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced today that the state of Rhode Island and the city of Warwick will receive over $5 million in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to eliminate the dangers of lead paint hazards in Rhode Island homes.Under the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control (Lead Hazard Control) grant program, the state will receive $3 million and the city of Warwick will receive $2.126 million to help prevent exposure to lead.  The program provides federal funding to help eliminate and prevent lead paint hazards in privately owned, low-income housing units.This funding will raise awareness about the dangers posed by exposure to lead and help home-owners eliminate this toxic substance, Reed stated. Lead poisoning is a preventable tragedy that dramatically impacts a child's ability to learn and has a significant cost for schools.  With the dedicated resources of the state and federal government we should be able to continue to reduce the incidence of lead poisoning in children.Reed has been a constant supporter of the Lead Hazard Control program which is funded through HUDs Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC). Earlier this year, he spearheaded a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committees Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, and HUD, requesting that it provide at least $185 million in funding to the OHHLHC for its lead hazard prevention grant programs, including $95 million for Lead Hazard Control Grants. The President proposed cutting funding for the programs by $35 million from last year.Reed stated, Federal funding for these grant programs saves lives and improves the health of thousands of children every year. I am deeply disappointed that the President would propose a drastic cut in funding for these vital programs, and it is my hope that my colleagues in the Senate will work with me to restore this funding.In 2003, Reed created the Urban Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration Program to fight lead poisoning in communities with the highest rates of lead poisoning in children.  The funding, which is also provided through HUDs Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, makes funds available to areas that have a disproportionately high-percentage of children under age six with dangerous levels of lead in their blood and a demonstrated commitment to fighting the problem.Reed created the program after learning that the demand for funding for efforts to combat lead poisoning far exceeded the budget of the Office of Lead Hazard Control diluting the impact funding could have on any hard hit single city.Reed has also worked in Congress to increase funding to combat lead poisoning and to ensure that children are screened for lead in their blood before entering kindergarten. Reed secured a 25% increase in 2001, and a 10% increase in 2002 in the HUD's budget to remove lead based paint, educate families about the dangers of lead, help cities comply with new federal lead-safety regulations, test low-income housing units for the presence of lead and train inspectors and workers to identify lead contamination in housing.Additionally, Senator Reed has sponsored legislation to require all children covered under federal health programs to be screened and treated for lead poisoning. Reed's provision was included in the Children's Health Act of 2000, which was signed into law in October 2000. It also authorizes the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention to issue recommendations to ensure uniform reporting requirements for blood lead levels at state laboratories and to improve data collection on the number of children screened for lead poisoning annually.