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HB259 • 2025

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCREENING FOR LEAD POISONING.

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCREENING FOR LEAD POISONING.

Children Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
K. Williams
Last action
2026-05-05
Official status
Out of Committee 5/5/26
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details on how non-compliance will be handled or what actions follow if schools do not submit required information.

Law About Reporting Lead Poisoning Screenings

This law requires Delaware's Division of Public Health to collect and report data from schools about kindergarten students' compliance with lead poisoning screening requirements.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school districts and charter schools to send information by November 1 each year to the Division of Public Health about kindergartners who have not met the requirements for lead poisoning screenings.
  • Requires the Division of Public Health to compile this data into a report by December 1 each year, disaggregated by school.
  • Requires the Division of Public Health to share the compiled report with government officials and make it available on their website.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts and charter schools in Delaware
  • The Division of Public Health in Delaware

Terms To Know

screening for lead poisoning
A test to check if a child has been exposed to too much lead, which can be harmful.
Division of Public Health
The part of the government that works on health issues in Delaware.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if schools do not report the required information.
  • Does not provide details about how the data will be used after it is reported and posted online.
  • It does not mention any penalties for non-compliance with reporting requirements.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HA 1

1 • K. Williams

Passed 4/14/26

Plain English: This amendment changes when an annual report about lead poisoning screening must be submitted and allows it to be combined with another yearly report.

  • Changes the deadline for submitting the annual report on lead poisoning screening from December 1st to January 1st.
  • Allows the reporting of lead screening before school enrollment to be combined with a separate annual lead report.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-05 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Health & Social Services) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 3 On Its Merits

  2. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 259 - Passed In House by Voice Vote

  3. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 3 ABSENT

  4. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

  5. 2026-03-11 Delaware General Assembly

    Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 11 On Its Merits

  6. 2026-03-05 Delaware General Assembly

    Amendment HA 1 to HB 259 - Introduced and Placed With Bill

  7. 2026-01-13 Delaware General Assembly

    Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Official Summary Text

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCREENING FOR LEAD POISONING.
This Act requires the Division of Public Health to submit a report to various government officials and post on its website the data it receives from schools regarding the number of kindergartners who meet the requirements under this chapter for screening for lead poisoning.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. K. Williams & Sen. Pinkney

Reps. Lynn, Berry, Gorman

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE BILL NO. 259

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SCREENING FOR LEAD POISONING.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

Section 1. Amend § 2603, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:

§ 2603. Screening prior to child care or school enrollment.

(a) For every child who has reached the age of 12 months, child care facilities and public and private nursery schools, preschools, and kindergartens shall require proof of screening for lead poisoning for admission or continued enrollment.

(b) Except in the case of enrollment in kindergarten, the screening under subsection (a) of this section may be done within 60 calendar days of the date of enrollment.

(c) A child’s parent or guardian must provide 1 of the following:

(1) A statement from the child’s primary health-care provider that the child has received a screening for lead poisoning.

(2) A certificate signed by the parent or guardian stating that the screening is contrary to the parent’s or guardian’s religious beliefs.

(d) The Division of Public Health shall ensure that all school nurses have access to data that confirms or denies whether each enrolled child has been screened for lead poisoning and the results of all lead screenings or tests. A record of the proof of screening shall be kept in each student’s school health record. Results must be in micrograms per deciliter and provided by Jan 1, 2025.

(e)

(1)

By November 1 of each year, all school districts and charter schools must report to the Division of Public

Health

Health, by school,

the number of students enrolled in kindergarten who have not met the requirements under subsection (c) of this

section.

section, as well as the total number of students enrolled in kindergarten at each school.

(2) By December 1 of each year, the Division of Public Health shall collect the data reported to the Division of Public Health under paragraph (e)(1) of this section and submit it in a single report, disaggregated by school, to the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Senate for distribution to all Senators, the Clerk of the House of Representatives for distribution to all Representatives, the Director and the Librarian of the Division of Legislative Services, and the Public Archives. The report under this paragraph must also be made available to the public through posting on the Division of Public Health website.

(f) Any contracts or computer upgrades must continue to include lead results.

SYNOPSIS

This Act requires the Division of Public Health to submit a report to various government officials and post on its website the data it receives from schools regarding the number of kindergartners who meet the requirements under this chapter for screening for lead poisoning.