An Act To Amend Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Screening For Lead Poisoning.
Summary
HB259 amends Delaware’s child lead-screening law in Title 16 to strengthen school and public health reporting around lead poisoning prevention. The bill continues to require proof of lead-poisoning screening for children age 12 months and older for admission to or continued enrollment in child care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, and kindergartens, with a 60-day grace period for most enrollments except kindergarten. Parents or guardians must provide either a health-care provider statement confirming screening or a religious exemption certificate.
The bill adds new data-sharing and reporting requirements. The Division of Public Health must ensure school nurses can access screening data and results, with records kept in each student’s school health file. School districts and charter schools must report kindergarten lead-screening compliance data annually, and the Division of Public Health must compile and publish a school-by-school report for state officials and the public. The bill also requires lead results to be available in micrograms per deciliter by January 1, 2025, and directs that any contracts or computer system upgrades continue to include lead-result data.
Impact
HB259 would amend Section 2603 of Title 16 of the Delaware Code, expanding the administrative and reporting framework for lead-poisoning screening without changing the underlying screening requirement itself. It affects child care facilities, nursery schools, preschools, kindergartens, school districts, charter schools, school nurses, and the Division of Public Health by imposing new obligations to collect, retain, and disclose screening information. The bill also creates a recurring public reporting process and requires data accessibility improvements in public health and school record systems.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests strong support for the bill: it passed House Third Reading 38-0. No committee transcript is provided, so there is no recorded debate to indicate opposition or amendments in discussion. Overall, the bill appears to have been treated as a public health and transparency measure with broad legislative backing.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The only potential areas of concern implied by the text are the added reporting burden on schools and the Division of Public Health, the requirement to share screening data with school nurses, and the handling of religious exemptions. However, no recorded objections, split votes, or committee debate are available to show organized opposition to those provisions.