[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5414]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     NEWBORN SCREENING SAVES LIVES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, this week the Nation is celebrating 
National Public Health Week, and I can think of no better way for this 
House to have begun the celebration than by the passage of today's 
packet of critical bipartisan public health legislation.
  I commend Chairman Dingell and Chairman Pallone for their leadership 
in helping to pass this group of bills which will make a significant 
contribution to improving our environment and the quality of our 
Nation's health.
  Regrettably, I was unable to return from Los Angeles in time to be a 
part of today's floor discussion. I am particularly pleased, however, 
that the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, S. 1858, as amended by my 
bill, H.R. 3825, was one of the public health bills that passed today.
  I extend my sincere thanks to my colleagues, Congressman Michael 
Simpson, Tom Reynolds, and Henry Waxman for their original 
cosponsorship of H.R. 3825, the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act. 
Their commitment and steadfast efforts have helped make possible the 
passage of this significant piece of legislation.
  In addition, I thank Senators Dodd, Orrin Hatch, Hillary Clinton, and 
Edward Kennedy for championing the Senate companion bill, S. 1858.
  I also thank the coalition of public health groups, especially the 
March of Dimes, for working with us over the last 4 years on this 
critical issue.
  Madam Speaker, approximately 5,000 babies are born each year with 
detectable and treatable disorders. Forty years ago, these disorders 
would have gone undetected until symptoms appeared. This resulted in 
otherwise preventable deaths or lifelong suffering from disabling 
consequences such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy.
  Today we have the ability to give a newborn baby a simple blood test 
that can identify many life-threatening genetic illnesses before 
symptoms occur. Fortunately, this early identification makes it 
possible to treat babies in time to prevent severe disorders, serious 
complications and even death.
  Yet tragically in the United States, approximately 1,000 infants a 
year die or are permanently disabled from these treatable disorders. 
These preventable tragedies are largely due to the fact that our 
country lacks a national newborn screening standard. Without a national 
standard, our States have great disparity and variation in the quality 
and number of newborn screening tests an infant may receive.
  Today's passage of Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act is a major step 
toward correcting these disparities because it encourages States to 
uniformly test for and keep updated a scientifically recommended panel 
of disorders. And it makes available the resources States need to 
expand and improve their newborn screening programs.
  The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act also has the potential to save 
millions of dollars in health care costs for families and States 
because it empowers parents and health care professionals with 
knowledge about the importance of newborn screening and follow-up care.
  In addition, the bill requires the Centers for Disease Control to 
ensure the quality of laboratories involved in newborn screening and it 
establishes a system for collecting and analyzing data to help 
researchers develop better detection, prevention, and treatment 
tragedies.
  Madam Speaker, by passing the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act, this 
Congress seized an opportunity to protect vulnerable babies from undue 
suffering and death and to give them a chance for a long and healthy 
life. Once again, I thank my colleagues for voting to pass this 
critical piece of public health legislation.

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