| Chapter 048 |
| 2026 -- H 7191 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/10/2026 |
| A N A C T |
| RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- LEAD POISONING PREVENTION ACT |
Introduced By: Representatives Phillips, J. Brien, Chippendale, Nardone, Place, Hull, Azzinaro, and Shanley |
| Date Introduced: January 21, 2026 |
| It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: |
| SECTION 1. Sections 23-24.6-7 and 23-24.6-21 of the General Laws in Chapter 23-24.6 |
| entitled "Lead Poisoning Prevention Act" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
| 23-24.6-7. Screening by health carehealthcare providers. |
| (a) The department shall promulgate regulations establishing the means by which and the |
| intervals at which children under six (6) years of age shall be screened for lead poisoning. The |
| department is also authorized to require screening for lead poisoning in other high risk groups. |
| (b) Each physician registered or licensed by Rhode Island or any agency of Rhode Island |
| shall screen children under six (6) years of age for lead poisoning at the intervals and using the |
| methods specified in the regulations adopted pursuant to subsection (a). Each licensed, registered, |
| or approved health carehealthcare facility serving children under six (6) years of age, including |
| but not limited to hospitals, clinics, and health maintenance organizations, shall take appropriate |
| steps to ensure that their patients receive screening for lead poisoning at the intervals and using the |
| methods specified in these regulations. |
| (c) All health carehealthcare programs funded in whole or in part with state money and |
| having child health components shall include, require, and/or provide for screening children under |
| six (6) years of age for lead poisoning at the intervals and using the methods specified in the |
| regulations promulgated under this section. |
| (d) The provisions of this section shall not apply if the parents of the child object to the |
| child undergoing blood lead screening on the grounds that the screening conflicts with their |
| religious tenets and practices. |
| (e) All blood samples taken by physicians or other health carehealthcare providers |
| licensed in Rhode Island or by licensed, registered, or approved health carehealthcare facilities in |
| Rhode Island from children under the age of six (6) years for the purpose of screening for blood |
| lead level shall be sent to either the state laboratory in the department of health or a clinical |
| laboratory, as defined in chapter 16.2 of this title, that is operated by an entity incorporated in the |
| State of Rhode Island, for laboratory analysis. |
| (f) The department shall, at least annually, analyze and summarize all of the lead screening |
| information provided by physicians, health carehealthcare facilities, and laboratories and provide |
| this information to all other local and state agencies involved with case management and lead |
| hazard reduction. An analysis and summary of the data shall also be made available, at least |
| annually, to the health carehealthcare community, to the general assembly, and the general public |
| in a format that is easily understandable to non-technical readers. |
| 23-24.6-21. Laboratory testing and reporting requirement certification. |
| (a) Laboratory analyses of all clinical and environmental media samples collected to |
| demonstrate compliance with this chapter or with regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter |
| shall only be conducted by a laboratory whichthat has been licensed or certified (as appropriate) |
| by the director pursuant to chapter 16.2 of this title entitled “Laboratories.”. Licensed laboratories |
| performing blood lead analyses taken from children under six (6) years of age shall be certified by |
| the director in accordance with a process approved by the director. |
| (b) All laboratories performing blood lead analyses on samples taken from children under |
| six (6) years of age shall report the results of such analyses to the department in accordance with |
| regulations promulgated by the department. |
| (c) All laboratories performing blood lead analyses on samples taken from children under |
| six (6) years of age shall perform blood lead analyses on children under six (6) years of age |
| regardless of the child or child’s parent or guardian’s ability to pay for the analysis and at no cost |
| to the child or child’s parent or guardian. |
| SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC003940/SUB A |
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