(a) For purposes of this section:

Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 19a-109aa

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.

(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Public Health;

(2) “Eligible families” means any household which (A) is eligible for the federal Medicaid program, (B) includes a child who is six years of age or younger as of July 1, 2000, and (C) is residing in a building built prior to 1978; and

(3) “The program” or “this program” means the program established by this section.

(b) The Commissioner of Public Health may establish a program to promote environmentally safe housing for children and families through education, medical screening and appropriate and cost-effective repairs. Such program may (A) identify eligible families and, through voluntary home visits, provide education about the problems caused by exposure to lead and how to avoid or lessen the effects of such exposure, (B) provide blood lead screening for children who are six years of age or younger, (C) identify measures to be taken to lessen the effects from the presence of lead, including window repair or replacement, (D) apply to federal programs and to other funding sources which will pay for some of the costs of this program, and (E) continue to evaluate the program’s progress in order to plan for a phase-out in three to five years. The commissioner may contract with a nonprofit entity to operate the program.

(c) Eligible costs by a nonprofit entity operating this program shall include costs and expenses incurred in providing lead-safety education, interim measures and window repair or replacement or other remediation for dwelling units, administrative and management expenses, planning and start-up costs, and any other costs and expenses found by the commissioner to be necessary and reasonable and in accordance with existing state regulations.