April 29, 2026

Nashville, TN–Young, Gifted & Green is proud to announce the successful passage of HB 1369 / SB 1255 in the State of Tennessee, which is a landmark bill that protects pregnant women and their unborn children from the devastating, lifelong impacts of lead exposure.

The new law requires the Tennessee Department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services, to provide educational materials on blood lead level (BLL) testing to pregnant women enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. Beyond testing education, the bill ensures that women with elevated blood lead levels receive specialized nutritional support, guidance on mitigating lead in the body, and access to existing wraparound services designed for those impacted by lead poisoning.

Honoring the Legislators Who Made This Possible

This victory would not have been possible without the unwavering leadership of our champions in the General Assembly. We extend our deepest gratitude to House Sponsor Representative Jesse Chism and Co-Sponsor Representative Karen Camper for their bold advocacy and tireless commitment to the health of Tennessee families. Their willingness to stand up for pregnant women and the children they carry reflects the very best of public service.

We are especially grateful to Senate Sponsor Senator London Lamar, whose leadership on this bill is a powerful continuation of her longstanding platform on maternal health. Senator Lamar has been a fearless and consistent voice for Black mothers, birthing people, and families across Tennessee, a state that continues to face one of the most severe maternal mortality crises in the nation. From championing doula access, to fighting for prenatal and postpartum care for incarcerated women, to launching Tennessee’s Maternal Health Day, Senator Lamar has dedicated her career to ensuring that no mother is forgotten and no preventable death is accepted as inevitable. HB 1369 / SB 1255 is a natural and necessary extension of that vision and recognizing that you cannot protect maternal health without also protecting the environment in which mothers and babies live, breathe, drink, and grow.

Honoring Our Coalition Partners

We are profoundly grateful to the organizations whose endorsements helped move this bill across the finish line:

• Protect Our Aquifer
• Memphis Community Against Pollution
• Green & Healthy Homes Initiative
• Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
• Children’s Environmental Health Network
• Healthy & Free Tennessee
• Shelby County Lead Prevention & Sustainability Commission

This public health and environmental champions reflect exactly what is required to win in this work which is collaboration and NOT working in silos. Environmental advocates, public health experts, nurses, housing justice leaders, and child health champions standing shoulder to shoulder are the keys to healthier communities in Tennessee. Thank you for understanding that lead poisoning is not someone else’s issue. It is our issue, our fight, and our shared responsibility.

A Mission-Aligned Victory

This win sits at the very heart of Young, Gifted & Green’s mission. Part of our now decade of work is to advance environmental justice for women, birthing people, and children, reflecting communities that have long borne the disproportionate burden of environmental harm. Lead poisoning is an intersectional issue: environmental, maternal, economic, racial, and generational. When a pregnant person is exposed to lead, the harm does not stop with her. It crosses the placenta. It shapes the development, the health, and the future of her child before that child ever takes a first breath.

We believe deeply that the womb is the first environment and we all have a moral responsibility to protect it. Every baby deserves to begin life in a body, and a world, free from preventable toxic harm. Every mother deserves the information, resources, and care needed to safeguard her pregnancy. With the passage of HB 1369 / SB 1255, Tennessee takes a meaningful step toward that vision.

This win belongs to the families who have been impacted, the advocates who refused to be silent, the legislators who listened, and the community that continues to demand a healthier, more just future for the next generation.

We know this is not the be all end all as the work is far from over and still continues.

About Young, Gifted & Green

Young, Gifted & Green (YGG) is a national environmental justice and civil rights organization with the purpose of bringing like-minded organizations together to collectively take action and advocate against the crisis of lead exposure and environmental injustices in disadvantaged communities.

Learn more about Young, Gifted & Green at www.younggiftedgreen.org.