Bill > A2225

Introduced Session

This bill requires a licensed health care professional, which will include a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant, certified advanced practice nurse, certified nurse midwife, certified professional midwife, and certified midwife, who provides prenatal maternity care to a pregnant person, to assess the person for possible risk factors for lead exposure and elevated blood lead levels based on the most recent guidelines and recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. If the health care professional cannot perform a required lead screening, the health care professional may refer the patient to another health care professional who is able to perform the lead screening. The bill stipulates that if a health care professional receives laboratory test results indicating that the pregnant person has an elevated blood lead level, the health care professional is to: notify the patient about the test results; provide the patient with an explanation of the significance of lead poisoning; and ensure that any of the patient's children or other members of the patient's household under the age of six are, or have been, screened for lead exposure. Under the bill, a health care professional is: (1) not required to conduct lead screening if the patient objects to the testing in writing or if the health care professional determines that another health care professional has already completed the lead screening required under the bill; and (2) to comply with the blood sample collection requirements specified in section 4 of P.L.1995, c.328 (C.26:2-137.5). The bill requires a laboratory which performs a lead screening test to report the test results to the Department of Health (DOH), the local health department in the municipality in which the pregnant person resides, and the health care professional that submitted the specimen, within five business days of obtaining the test result. A record of all lead screenings conducted under the bill is to be included in the central database maintained by the DOH as required under section 5 of P.L.1995, c.328 (C.26:2-137.6). The information reported to and compiled by the DOH is confidential, except that statistical reports may be made available using information compiled from the database, excluding personal identifying information.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Luanne Peterpaul (D)*,  Shanique Speight (D)*,  Rosaura Bagolie (D),  Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D),  William Sampson (D),  Gary Schaer (D),  Lisa Swain (D), 

Withdrawn Because Approved P.L.2025, c.193. (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document