Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007
Public Law 110-204 · S. 1858 · 110th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Apr 24, 2008 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
Cosponsors (21): Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Hillary Clinton,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
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.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
4 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 3825Identical billRelated bill
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2008
H.R. 5919 · became Public Law 110-237Related bill
To make technical corrections regarding the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007.
S. 634Related bill
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007
S.Con.Res. 76Related bill
A concurrent resolution to make technical corrections in the enrollment of the bill S. 1858.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 22 actions.
- Apr 24, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-204.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Apr 14, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Apr 8, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1858.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Capps moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- FloorFloor · By Senator Kennedy from Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions filed written report. Report No. 110-280.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Dec 17, 2007FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
- Dec 14, 2007FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 13, 2007FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Dec 5, 2007CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 522.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Kennedy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
- Nov 14, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jul 23, 2007CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 3852SenateSen. Christopher DoddD-CT· offered Dec 13, 2007Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Dec 13, 2007: Amendment SA 3852 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.