Lawmakers have introduced legislation designed to help states with their newborn screening (NBS) programs. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1281) was introduced in U.S. House of Representatives on March 20 by Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) to reauthorize critical federal activities that assist states in improving and expanding their NBS programs and ensuring laboratory quality and surveillance. Prior to passage of the original 2008 NBS legislation, there was great state-by-state variation in the number and quality of public health NBS. Only 10 states and the District of Columbia require infants to be screened for all recommended core conditions. These low numbers prompted the March of Dimes (MOD) to lead a nationwide campaign to urge all states to adopt a full NBS panel to identify infants who may have genetic, metabolic, or hearing disorders that may not be apparent at birth. As a result of those efforts, 44 states and the District of Columbia now require screening of at least 29 of the 31 treatable core conditions. The reauthorization calls for funding of newborn screening initiatives at $25.8 million per year for five years. Specifically, the bill’s key provisions: Extend the Health Resources and Services Administration […]