| Passed by the House February 13, 2014 Yeas 93 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 4, 2014 Yeas 48 ________________________________________ President of the Senate | I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2544 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/14.
AN ACT Relating to newborn screening; amending RCW 70.83.020; adding new sections to chapter 70.83 RCW; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 70.83.020 and 2010 c 94 s 18 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) It shall be the duty of the department of health to require
screening tests of all newborn infants ((before they are discharged
from the hospital)) born in any setting. Each hospital or health care
provider attending a birth outside of a hospital shall collect and
submit a sample blood specimen for all newborns no more than forty-eight hours following birth. The department of health shall conduct
screening tests of samples for the detection of phenylketonuria and
other heritable or metabolic disorders leading to intellectual
disabilities or physical defects as defined by the state board of
health: PROVIDED, That no such tests shall be given to any newborn
infant whose parents or guardian object thereto on the grounds that
such tests conflict with their religious tenets and practices.
(2) The sample required in subsection (1) of this section must be
received by the department within seventy-two hours of the collection
of the sample, excluding any day that the Washington state public
health laboratory is closed.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 70.83 RCW
to read as follows:
In each instance in which the department of health notifies the
infant's attending health care provider that the infant's screening
test indicates a suspicion of abnormality, which may include an
inadequate collection of a sample blood specimen, that requires further
diagnostic evaluation, the attending health care provider shall notify
the department of health of the date upon which the screening test
results were disclosed by the attending health care provider to the
parents or guardian of the infant.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 70.83 RCW
to read as follows:
The department of health shall compile an annual report for public
distribution regarding the compliance rate of hospitals at meeting the
deadlines established under RCW 70.83.020 for newborn screenings. The
report must include information related to the performance of each
individual hospital. The annual report must also include information
about the extent to which health care providers are promptly informing
parents and guardians about infant screening tests that indicate a
suspicion of abnormality that requires further diagnostic evaluation.
The report must be made available in a format that does not disclose
any identifying information related to any infant, parent, or guardian,
or health care provider. The report must be posted in an accessible
location on the department of health's web site.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 Sections 2 and 3 of this act expire January
1, 2020.