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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 Healthcare
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
2026-06-23
Official status
Passed 6/23/26
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Delaware Law Update: Reporting Kindergarten Lead Screening Data

This law requires school districts to report kindergarten enrollment and unscreened student numbers, directing the Division of Public Health to share this data with government officials and the public.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires all school districts and charter schools to report by November 1 each year how many kindergartners are enrolled and how many have not provided proof of a lead screening or religious exemption.
  • Directs the Division of Public Health to collect this data and submit one single report broken down by school to government officials by December 1 each year.
  • Requires that the final report be posted on the Division of Public Health website so anyone can read it.
  • Ensures that any new contracts or computer system upgrades continue to include lead screening results.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School districts and charter schools in Delaware
  • The Division of Public Health
  • Government officials including the Secretary of Education, Senators, Representatives, legislative staff, and public archives

Terms To Know

Lead poisoning screening
A medical test to check if a child has too much lead in their blood.
Disaggregated by school
Data is separated and listed for each individual school rather than combined into one total number.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The official text does not state a specific date when this new reporting law will officially begin.
  • This annual report only covers kindergarteners, not other grade levels or child care facilities.

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 the deadline for a specific lead poisoning report from December 1 to January 1 and allows it to be submitted together with another existing annual report.

  • The due date for submitting the annual report is changed from December 1 to January 1.
  • Schools or agencies can now combine this new lead screening report with their general annual lead report required by law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-23 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

  2. 2026-05-05 Delaware General Assembly

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

  3. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

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

  4. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Passed By House. Votes: 38 YES 3 ABSENT

  5. 2026-04-14 Delaware General Assembly

    Assigned to Health & Social Services Committee in Senate

  6. 2026-03-11 Delaware General Assembly

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

  7. 2026-03-05 Delaware General Assembly

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

  8. 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, Lambert

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.