Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007

NEWBORN SCREENING SAVES LIVES ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - April 08, 2008)

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Mr. REYNOLDS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia.

Madam Speaker, as one of the chief sponsors of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, I rise today in strong support of Senate 1858 and urge its passage. I would like to extend my thanks to Chairman Dingell and Ranking Member Barton for working together to get this bill to the floor today.

This bill is a tribute to children and their parents who have had to face the pain of experiencing a disease that wasn't caught by newborn screening. Each year, over 4 million children are routinely tested at birth for genetic disorders. But what so many parents don't realize is that the actual number of conditions that their child is screened for depends on the State they live in. A child's life in one State should never mean more or less than a child's life in another.

Every child born with a disease, whether it is common or rare, should receive early diagnosis and treatment. That is why we need the Newborn Screening Laws Saves Lives Act signed into law and adequately funded. Through this legislation, we cannot only educate parents about lifesaving tests available for their newborn child, but greatly expand the screening programs at the State level.

Left untreated, many disorders are life-threatening or can cause serious mental and physical disabilities. Early detection through screening can lessen effects or even completely prevent progression of many disorders by providing for immediate medical intervention.

My State of New York has long been a national leader in newborn screening, starting in 1960 when Dr. Robert Guthrie developed the first newborn screening tests in Buffalo, New York. New York now tests each child for 44 different conditions.

In 2004, the American College of Medical Genetics completed a report commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which recommended at a minimum every baby born in the United States be screened for a core set of 29 treatable disorders. Currently, only 19 States and the District of Columbia require infants to be screened for all 29 of the recommended disorders. It is my sincere hope through grants and research funding provided for in the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, every State will be able to coordinate their newborn screening tests in order to bring consistency across the country.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge the strong bipartisan efforts of my colleagues LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD, MIKE SIMPSON, and HENRY WAXMAN. They have long fought for life saving changes to newborn screening it, and it has been a pleasure working with them to achieve its consideration today.

I would like to thank Jill and Jim Kelly and Jacque Waggoner from Western New York for their tireless advocacy on behalf of enhanced newborn screening and for the tremendous efforts to raise public awareness about this vital issue.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill.

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