The Senate this week will likely vote on an amendment from Michigan’s senators, Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), designed to help Flint, Michigan recover from an ongoing public health crisis caused by lead contamination in the municipal water supply.

The amendment would provide up to $400 million in emergency funding for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help the city repair or replace its deteriorating lead water pipes. The state of Michigan would be required to provide up to $400 million in matching funds.

In a request to the Obama administration for federal emergency funding, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder estimated the total cost of repairing the water supply system to be about $767 million.

The amendment would also provide $200 million to establish a new Center of Excellence on Lead Exposure in Flint that would provide assistance to people who have been exposed to lead poisoning.

There is also a provision in the amendment requiring the EPA to notify communities when high levels of lead are detected in their water if local or state governments fails to issue such a notifications. In the case of Flint, the EPA was aware of the problem with the deteriorating lead pipes as early as April, but did not alert the public or pursue legal action because they were unsure if they they had the authority to do so.

The amendment has been proposed to a comprehensive energy bill that is currently being debated in the Senate. It has not been scheduled for a vote yet, but the energy bill is being considered under an “open” amendment process, so it’s likely that it will be taken up before work on the bill is completed.

On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called on Republicans to join Democrats in supporting the measure. “It’s too bad the people on this side of the aisle disparage government all the time as too intrusive, too involved, detrimental to our society,” Reid said. “The governor of Michigan is one of the leading cheerleaders of that theory. … I hope Senate Republicans will support our efforts to protect the people of Flint.”

Senate Republicans have not stated their position on the amendment, but they are likely to object to its spending, which is not offset with new revenue sources or spending cuts. Traditionally, emergency disaster funding has been provided without offsets, but in recent years Republicans have begun objecting to such an approach and demanding offsets.