WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor                     H.B. 1658

Childhood lead poisoning guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC), followed by both MDE and DHMH, recommend commencement of case
management for children with blood lead levels at 20 mcg/dl. Initiating full case
management at 15 mcg/dl would more than double the case load of required home visits
and environmental investigations. House Bill 1658 was enacted without its own revenue
source, and would depend upon the revenue generated by House Bill 760 for its viability.
The revenue that will be provided by House Bill 760 may have been sufficient to establish
the lead screening program envisioned in House Bill 1658 had the bill contained a case
management threshold of 20 mcg/dl. However, it is simply not possible to fund such a
program at this time with a requirement that case management commence at 15 mcg/dl.

For the above reasons, I have vetoed House Bill 1658.

Sincerely,

William Donald Schaefer

Governor

House Bill No. 1658

AN ACT concerning

Childhood Lead Screening Program

FOR the purpose of requiring the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to establish
and administer a Lead Poisoning Screening Program, for certain purposes, and
using certain criteria and payment mechanisms; requiring the Department of the
Environment to assure statewide coordinated case management for certain
individuals; requiring the Department of the Environment to establish a Lead
Poisoning Outreach and Education Program for certain purposes, and allowing the
that Department to contract with outside sources for that Program; requiring the
Department of the Environment, in conjunction with certain other units, to develop
and report on a certain plan by a certain date; requiring a certain case management
program to be in place by a certain date; deleting obsolete language; providing for
the termination of a certain portion of this Act; and generally relating to lead
screening of children.

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,
Article - Environment
Section 6-303

Annotated Code of Maryland
(1993 Replacement Volume)

BY adding to

Article - Environment
Section 6-304

Annotated Code of Maryland
(1993 Replacement Volume)

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