What's happening
This bill lowers the blood lead level defined as "elevated" from ten to five micrograms per deciliter and updates related regulations.
Why it matters
Lowering the threshold for "elevated" blood lead levels means more children and adults will be identified as at-risk. , which could lead to earlier interventions, increased testing, and expanded eligibility for lead poisoning prevention resources.
The bill gives the state health department flexibility to further reduce the threshold in the future. if new scientific evidence or federal guidance recommends it, ensuring regulations can adapt to updated health standards without requiring new legislation.
New York's standard would align with the most current federal health recommendations and could prompt landlords, schools, and local health departments to take more aggressive action. in identifying and remediating sources of lead exposure, potentially reducing long-term health impacts in vulnerable communities.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Lower Lead Level Threshold
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
24 Co-sponsors
- Felix Ortiz
- Steven Englebright
- Linda Rosenthal
- Harvey Epstein
- Judy Griffin
- William Colton
- Sandy Galef
- Fred Thiele
- Richard Gottfried
- Jonathan Jacobson
- Michael Blake
- Steven Otis
- Donna Lupardo
- Charles Fall
- Tremaine Wright
- Jeffrey Dinowitz
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Robert C. Carroll
- Albert A. Stirpe
- Dan Quart
- Jake Ashby
- Charles Barron
- David Weprin
- Phil Steck
History
- Enacting clause stricken
- Committed to ways and means
- Ordered to third reading cal.222
- Returned to assembly
- Died in senate
- Referred to finance
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.37
- Rules report cal.37
- Reported
- Reported referred to rules
Show 2 earlier actions
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to health
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5779
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 19, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. RYAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the definition of elevated blood lead levels
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 1370 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 485 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
6. "Elevated lead levels" means a blood lead level greater than or equal to [ten] five micrograms of lead per deciliter of whole blood or such lower blood lead level as may be established by the department pursuant to rule or regulation.
§ 2. (a) Within 90 days after the date on which this act takes effect, the department of health shall adopt all necessary regulations to define "elevated lead levels" to mean a blood lead level greater than or equal to 5 micrograms per deciliter of whole blood, or such lower blood lead level as the department may establish, to be utilized in its lead poisoning prevention program. The department shall be authorized to promulgate regulations on an emergency basis to implement the provisions of this act.
(b) Within 6 months after the date on which the federal department of health and human services has published guidance recommending a lower concentration of lead in blood than the concentration established pursuant to section one of this act as the reference level for conducting an environmental intervention, the department of health shall publish a notice of proposed rule making to consider the incorporation of such guidance into its regulations.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06236-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.