Lawmakers Press Rawlings-Blake On Lead Paint Payments

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Three state lawmakers are urging Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to find a way for the city's housing  authority to pay nearly $12 million from lawsuits filed by people exposed to lead paint.

Sen. Lisa Gladden, Del. Nathaniel T. Oaks and Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg sent the letter to the mayor this week, criticizing the authority for refusing to pay any of the settlements -- even in cases where it agreed to the dollar amount or lost on appeal.

Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano recently said the authority simply can't afford to pay, a claim that has been repeated by Rawlings-Blake.

The letter from the three Democrats criticizes the housing authority for using "frivolous and delaying legal tactics" to avoid making the payments.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)