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Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2014

Public Law 113-240 · H.R. 1281 · 113th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 18, 2014 · Health

Sponsor: Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-40)

Cosponsors (120): Rep. Mike Simpson,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2014 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend through FY2019 a grant program for screening, counseling, and other services related to heritable disorders that can be detected in newborns. Allows grants to be used to improve timeliness of newborn screening and provide training to health care professionals on the importance of timely screening and on the sharing of medical and diagnostic information with providers and families.

(Sec. 3) Extends through FY2019 a grant program 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. Expands the program to include evaluation of health outcomes through adolescence and best practices for timely screening of newborns.

(Sec. 4) Extends for five years the operation of the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue the Advisory Committee after such time.

(Sec. 5) Extends through FY2019 the clearinghouse for newborn screening information. Expands the duties of the clearinghouse to include: (1) maintaining current information on the number of conditions for which screening is conducted in each state; and (2) disseminating guidelines for diagnosis, counseling, and treatment of conditions detected by newborn screening.

(Sec. 6) Extends through FY2019 requirements for the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide for quality assurance of laboratories involved in screening newborns and children for heritable disorders. Authorizes the Director to coordinate surveillance activities, including through standardized data collection and reporting and electronic health records.

(Sec. 7) Makes permanent the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Newborn and Child Screening. Adds the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA) to this committee.

(Sec. 8) Requires the Director to update the national contingency plan for newborn screening at least every five years.

(Sec. 9) Authorizes the Secretary to expand the Hunter Kelly Newborn Screening Research Program to: (1) provide research and data for newborn conditions under review by the Advisory Committee to be added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel, and (2) conduct pilot studies on conditions recommended by the Advisory Committee to ensure that screenings are ready for nationwide implementation.

(Sec. 11) Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on the timeliness of newborn screening. Requires the Secretary to report on newborn screening activities and expenditures.

(Sec. 12) Directs HHS to update the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, also known as the Common Rule, not later than two years after enactment of this Act. Applies the following provisions until HHS updates the Common Rule:

• requires federally funded research on newborn dried blood spots to be considered research on human subjects (which requires the informed consent of the subject), and

• eliminates the ability of an institutional review board to waive informed consent requirements for research on newborn dried blood spots.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

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Related bills

The record lists no related bills.

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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 25 actions.

  1. Dec 18, 2014Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 113-240.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 12, 2014FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 10, 2014Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mrs. Ellmers asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
  7. OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
  8. Dec 9, 2014FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  9. Dec 8, 2014FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  10. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  11. Jun 25, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  12. Jun 24, 2014FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  13. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1281.
  14. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  15. FloorFloor · Mr. Pitts moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  16. Jun 19, 2014CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 354.
  17. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 113-478.
  18. Apr 3, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  20. Feb 27, 2014CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Voice Vote .
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
  22. Mar 22, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
  23. Mar 20, 2013CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  24. CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1643)
  25. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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.

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Amendments

1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.

  • S.Amdt. 3976SenateSen. Rand PaulR-KY· offered Dec 8, 2014Agreed to

    To clarify the rules relating to newborn screening research and informed consent.

    Dec 8, 2014: Amendment agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.

    Agreed to
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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.