NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — In the wake of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, a Connecticut U.S. senator is urging more timely warnings from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Homeowners in Flint weren’t notified immediately of lead poisoning in the water as the EPA was unclear whether, under federal law, they were authorized to alert them, WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported.

Back in Connecticut, Sen. Chris Murphy is seeking a change in the law that would require immediate notification.

Murphy said the big problem in Connecticut is lead paint on older homes.

“There are unfortunately regular cases in Connecticut of lead poisoning in children because we have all of these old homes,” he said. “Children that are very young — under the age of 6 or 7 — are most prone to lead poisoning.”

Murphy now seeks to upgrade the federal law to allow the EPA to notify homeowners immediately if lead paint is found in a home. He also wants homeowners to get a tax break for removing deadly lead paint.