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S. 1858: Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

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S. 1858: Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

110th Congress · introduced 2007-07-23 · Health · Latest: Became Public Law No: 110-204.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2007-07-23 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 110-204. (final step reached)
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 13, 2007. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize 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: (1) provide screening, counseling, or health care services to newborns and children having or at risk for heritable disorders; (2) provide education and training in newborn screening and congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders to health care professionals and newborn screening laboratory personnel; (3) develop and deliver educational programs about newborn screening, counseling, testing, follow-up, treatment, and specialty services to parents, families, and patient advocacy and support groups; and (4) establish, maintain, and operate a system to assess and coordinate treatment relating to congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 for grants for demonstration programs to evaluate the effectiveness of screening, counseling, or health care services in reducing the morbidity and mortality caused by heritable disorders in newborns and children. (Sec. 4) Expands the duties of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children to include: (1) making recommendations that include the heritable disorders for which all newborns should be screened; (2) developing a model decision-matrix for newborn screening expansion; and (3) considering ways to ensure that all states attain the capacity to screen for the recommended conditions. Sets forth deadlines for the Secretary to make a decision on Advisory Committee recommendations. Requires the Advisory Committee to continue to operate during the five-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act. (Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Administrator, to establish and maintain a central clearinghouse of current information on newborn screening. Sets forth requirements for such clearinghouse, including: (1) ensuring that the clearinghouse is available on the Internet and is updated at least quarterly; (2) providing links to websites that have expertise in newborn screening; (3) providing information about newborn conditions and screening services available in each state; (4) providing current research on conditions for which newborn screening tests are available; and (5) providing the availability of federal funding for newborn and child screening for heritable disorders. (Sec. 6) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to provide for: (1) quality assurance for screening laboratories; and (2) appropriate quality control and other performance test materials to evaluate the performance of new screening tools. Requires the Secretary to establish an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Newborn and Child Screening to make recommendations on: (1) programs to collect, analyze, and make available data on certain heritable disorders; and (2) the establishment of regional centers to conduct applied epidemiological research on effective interventions for preventing poor health outcomes resulting from such disorders and to provide information and education to the public on such effective interventions. (Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to develop a national contingency plan for newborn screening in the event of a public health emergency. Authorizes the Secretary to continue to carry out, coordinate, and expand research in newborn screening (to be known as the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program), including: (1) identifying, developing, and testing the most promising new screening technologies; and (2) experimental treatments and disease management strategies for conditions that can be detected through newborn screening for which treatment is not yet available.

Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT] · 21 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1858, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 (2008-04-01); CBO cost estimate: S. 1858, Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 (2008-04-01)

Cosponsors on this site

Patty Murray (D-WA), Susan M. Collins (R-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Appropriation
Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong110-s1858 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110