SENATE BILL REPORT

                   HB 1372

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

            Health & Long-Term Care, March 31, 1999

Title:  An act relating to birth defects surveillance.

Brief Description:  Repealing the requirement to maintain a registry for handicapped children.

Sponsors:  Representatives Schual‑Berke, Esser, Boldt and Keiser; by request of Department of Health.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Health & Long‑Term Care:  3/18/99, 3/31/99 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & LONG-TERM CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Thibaudeau, Chair; Wojahn, Vice Chair; Costa, Deccio, Franklin, Johnson and Winsley.

Staff:  Christopher Blake (786-7446)

Background:  Existing law directs the Department of Health to maintain records of children with birth defects in the Registry for Handicapped Children.  In addition to this database, the department has a system under its notifiable conditions regulations for collecting information about incidences of communicable diseases and other specified medical conditions.  The Registry for Handicapped Children had operated an active program with the assistance of a grant from the Centers for Disease Control.  That grant, however, was recently discontinued and the registry has not been able to operate at its prior level.  The department believes that it could track the occurrence of birth defects more effectively if it were able to consolidate the information in the Registry for Handicapped Children under the existing notifiable conditions programs.

Summary of Bill:  The law establishing the Registry for Handicapped Children is repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This bill removes unnecessary statutory language, making way for more effective tracking of birth defects data.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Schual-Berke, prime sponsor (pro).