HB 1270 — An Act amending the act of November 3, 2022 (P.L.2135, No.150), known as the Childhood Blood Lead Test Act, further providing for title of act, for legislative purpose, for definitions, for lead poisoning prevention, assessment and testing and for duties of department.

PRINTER'S NO.   1423

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 1270
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY LABS, HANBIDGE, STAATS, FREEMAN, KAZEEM AND
        WARREN, APRIL 21, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, APRIL 21, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of November 3, 2022 (P.L.2135, No.150),
 2      entitled "An act providing for blood lead assessment and
 3      testing of certain children and pregnant women by health care
 4      providers; imposing duties on the Department of Health; and
 5      requiring certain health insurance policies to cover blood
 6      lead tests," further providing for title of act, for
 7      legislative purpose, for definitions, for lead poisoning
 8      prevention, assessment and testing and for duties of
 9      department.
10      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11   hereby enacts as follows:
12      Section 1.    The title of the act of November 3, 2022
13   (P.L.2135, No.150), known as the Childhood Blood Lead Test Act,
14   is amended to read:
15                                  An Act
16   Providing for blood lead assessment and testing of certain
17      children and pregnant women by health care [providers]
18      practitioners; imposing duties on the Department of Health;
19      and requiring certain health insurance policies to cover
20      blood lead tests.
21      Section 2.    Section 3(3) of the act is amended to read:
 1   Section 3.      Legislative purpose.
 2      The purposes of this act are:
 3            * * *
 4            (3)     To encourage the testing of all children in this
 5      Commonwealth by [two years] nine months of age so that prompt
 6      diagnosis and treatment, as well as the prevention of harm,
 7      are possible.
 8      Section 3.         Section 4 of the act is amended by adding
 9   definitions to read:
10   Section 4.      Definitions.
11      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13   context clearly indicates otherwise:
14      * * *
15      "Child."      An individual younger than 18 years of age.
16      * * *
17      "Health care practitioner."         As defined in section 103 of the
18   act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the Health Care
19   Facilities Act.
20      * * *
21      Section 4.         Sections 5 and 6(a) and (b)(2) of the act are
22   amended to read:
23   Section 5.      Lead poisoning prevention, assessment and testing.
24      (a)   Lead testing for children.--
25            [(1)    The following apply:
26                   (i)    A health care provider shall consider possible
27            lead exposure in an individual patient by evaluating risk
28            factors for lead exposure and perform blood lead testing
29            in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for
30            Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy

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 1        of Pediatrics by 24 months of age.
 2              (ii)    If a patient has never been tested in
 3        accordance with recommendations from the Centers for
 4        Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy
 5        of Pediatrics by 24 months of age, a health care provider
 6        shall consider possible lead exposure and perform blood
 7        lead testing in an individual patient between 24 months
 8        and 72 months of age.
 9              (iii)    A health care provider shall make reasonable
10        efforts to ensure that a patient's parent or legal
11        guardian understands the risks and benefits of blood lead
12        testing prior to obtaining consent.
13        (2)   If a patient's parent or legal guardian consents to
14    blood lead testing for the patient under paragraph (1) and
15    the results of a capillary blood lead test indicate an
16    elevated blood lead level, the health care provider shall
17    perform a confirmatory blood lead test by venipuncture within
18    12 weeks of the first blood lead test after obtaining the
19    consent of the patient's parent or legal guardian.]
20        (1)   A health care practitioner who assumes the
21    responsibility for the postnatal care of a child shall offer
22    the child's parent or legal guardian blood lead testing for
23    the child or make a referral for blood lead testing before
24    the child is nine months of age. If the child is enrolled in
25    a government program, the health care practitioner shall
26    notify the parent or legal guardian of the lead testing
27    requirements under 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(r) (relating to
28    definitions). The health care practitioner shall evaluate the
29    child's risk factors for lead exposure and notify the parent
30    or legal guardian if the child may be at higher risk for lead

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 1    exposure.
 2        (2)     If a child has not received a blood lead test by
 3    nine months of age, a health care practitioner shall consider
 4    possible lead exposure in the child by evaluating risk
 5    factors for lead exposure and perform blood lead testing on
 6    the child or make a referral for blood lead testing in
 7    accordance with the recommendations from the Centers for
 8    Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of
 9    Pediatrics before the child is 24 months of age.
10        (3)     If a child has not received a blood lead test in
11    accordance with the recommendations from the Centers for
12    Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of
13    Pediatrics before the child is 24 months of age, a health
14    care practitioner shall consider possible lead exposure and
15    perform blood lead testing on the child or make a referral
16    for blood lead testing when the child is between 24 months
17    and 72 months of age.
18        (4)     If a child's parent or legal guardian consents to
19    blood lead testing under this subsection, a health care
20    practitioner shall perform blood lead testing or make a
21    referral for blood lead testing. Testing under this
22    subsection shall not be performed unless the child's parent
23    or legal guardian provides written consent to the health care
24    practitioner.
25        (5)     Prior to obtaining consent from a child's parent or
26    legal guardian for a blood lead test, a health care
27    practitioner shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that the
28    parent or legal guardian understands the risks and benefits
29    of the blood lead test.
30        (6)     If the results of a capillary blood lead test on a

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 1      child indicate an elevated blood lead level, a health care
 2      practitioner shall perform a confirmatory blood lead test, or
 3      make a referral for a confirmatory blood lead test by
 4      venipuncture within 12 weeks of the first blood lead test
 5      after obtaining the written consent of the child's parent or
 6      legal guardian.
 7      (b)   Lead exposure risk assessment and testing requirements
 8   for pregnant women.--A health care [provider] practitioner shall
 9   consider possible lead exposure in individual pregnant women by
10   evaluating risk factors for lead exposure and perform blood lead
11   testing if a single risk factor is identified in accordance with
12   recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and
13   Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and
14   Gynecologists.
15      (c)   Reporting.--Health care [providers] practitioners and
16   laboratories shall comply with reporting regulations as
17   specified in 28 Pa. Code § 27.34 (relating to reporting cases of
18   lead poisoning).
19   Section 6.     Duties of department.
20      (a)   Comprehensive educational program.--The department shall
21   conduct a public information campaign to inform parents of young
22   children, physicians, nurses and other health care [providers]
23   practitioners of the lead assessment and testing requirements of
24   this act.
25      (b)   Distribution of literature about childhood lead
26   poisoning.--
27            * * *
28            (2)   Educational materials shall be available at no cost
29      and shall be developed for specific audiences, including
30      health care [providers] practitioners, homeowners, landlords

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1     and parents or caregivers.
2     Section 5.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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