On December 8, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1281), after adopting an amendment by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to clarify the rules relating to newborn screening and informed consent. The House approved the amended legislation on December 10, by voice vote. The House passed the original version of the measure on June 24 (see The Source, 6/27/14).
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee report, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), would reauthorize through FY2019 grant programs that promote expanded screening of newborns and children for heritable disorders. Among other provisions, the legislation would clarify “the need for health care professionals and laboratory personnel to be trained in the latest technology related to newborn screening, understand the importance of timeliness in the collection, delivery, receipt, and screening of specimens, and share medical and diagnostic information with providers and families.”
