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60 votes cast
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P.L. 110-204, The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007
- This item is from the 110th Congress (2007-2008) and is no longer current. Comments, voting, and wiki editing have been disabled, and the cost/savings estimate has been frozen.
Version saved on October 22, 2007, 18:39:48, by webmaster:
S. 1858 would amend the Public Health Service Act to establish grant programs to provide for education and outreach on newborn screening and coordinated followup care once newborn screening has been conducted, to reauthorize programs under part A of title XI of such Act.
Detailed Summary
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to award grants to eligible entities to provide education and training in newborn screening and congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders to health care professionals and newborn screening laboratory personnel.
Adds as a condition for eligibility for grants for screening, counseling, or health care services to newborns and children having, or at risk for, heritable disorders that an entity assure that it has or is implementing guidelines and recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.
Requires the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children to: (1) make recommendations that include the heritable disorders for which all newborns should be screened; and (2) develop a model decision-matrix for newborn screening program expansion.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to: (1) establish a central clearinghouse for information on newborn screening; and (2) award grants for newborn screening educational programs and for a system to assess and coordinate treatment relating to congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders.
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to provide for: (1) quality assurance for screening laboratories; (2) population-based pilot testing for evaluating new screening tools; and (3) a national contingency plan for newborn screening in the event of a public health emergency.
Requires the Secretary, acting through an Interagency Group, to: (1) collect, analyze, and make available data on certain heritable disorders; (2) operate regional centers to conduct applied epidemiological research on interventions to prevent poor health outcomes from such disorders; and (3) research and promote the prevention of poor health outcomes.
Requires the Secretary to establish the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 7/23/2007: Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Cost per :
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There was no up-or-down vote in the House.
There was no up-or-down vote in the Senate.
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Visitor Comments
Michael
December 19, 2007, 12:13pm (report abuse)Well, the bill passed the Senate. It's onto the House.
I see a lot of people voting against this bill but no comments as to why they are against this bill. I doubt many if any have taken the time to read the proposed bill.
Susan
February 13, 2008, 4:55pm (report abuse)Every newborn in the US is tested for PKU via a heel stick at birth. This bill simply mandates that 28 other disorders be tested for with the same one heel stick. These disorders are often fatal if not diagnosed early. This bill is vital to the well-being of newborns in the US.
Joel
April 28, 2008, 5:38pm (report abuse)The problem Susan is, "Without parental consent" and the constitution. Your assertion that this is "Vital to the well-being of new born in the US" is a remarkable assumption.
The fact is, without assertion or assumption, this violates our U.S. Constitution, The Supreme Law of The Land.
This is why many are against the bill that has just become Law. You guys really just don't get the concept of "Freedom" do you?
It's likely you in someway benefit from this either through healthcare or other based on your comments.
Aryaz
May 1, 2008, 9:10am (report abuse)What will be done about false positive tests?
Michael
May 2, 2008, 2:24pm (report abuse)Joel,
How does this violate the Constitution? Which portion of the Constitution? Is this a penumbra's argument?
As for your "don't get the concept of 'Freedom' " argument, A baby receiving a heal-prick to determine if he/she has a catastrophic and deadly genetic disorder is easily a reasonable intrusion into whatever sort of "Constitutional Right" you find within the shadows and mirrors of your argument.
My daughter already has a terminal diagnosis so this bill will not benefit me or my family in the slightest. However, I am pleased to see that more screening is available that may benefit Americans in the future.
NLM
May 3, 2008, 10:55am (report abuse)It isn't that they are testing newborns, it is that they are storing their DNA that boths me. Along with the fact that the parents have no say in the matter. No concent is needed. Where are our rights as citizens to have a choice.
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Charlie Judd
May 10, 2008, 1:32pm (report abuse)S. 1858 violates Art.1,9,7. "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law..." Congress did not make law requiring DNA samples of newborns. That would violate Congress' authority. S. 1858 provides funding of public money to those entities who do take samples. In addition to violation as above, the bill violates the Separation of Powers Doctrine which is the basis of the Constitution. It is the same for example as China donating money to a presidential candidate.