{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398376", "Simpsons Newborn Screening Bill Passes Congress and Heads to Presidents Desk", "2014-12-11", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Mike Simpson", "S001148", "simpson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The House of Representatives has unanimously passed the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act, co-authored by Congressman Mike Simpson and Congresswoman Lucile Roybal-Allard (CA).\u00a0 The bill will reauthorize newborn screening programs for five years while updating and building upon the landmark 2008 Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act first offered by Simpson and Roybal-Allard. \r\n\u201cI am pleased to see the House pass the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act and send it to the President for his signature,\u201d said Congressman Simpson. \u201cI am so grateful to Congresswoman Roybal-Allard for her dedication to this issue.\u00a0 She has truly led the way in making this bill a reality.\u201d \r\n\u201cI have repeatedly said that this bill is as important as any we will pass this year,\u201d Simpson continued. \u201cThese crucial screening tests detect conditions that are too often undetected at birth and if left untreated can cause disability, developmental delay, illness, or even death.\u00a0 Conditions quickly identified lead to better outcomes and saved lives, often at a reduced cost. \u201d\r\nCongresswoman Roybal-Allard added, \u201cOur collective efforts to rapidly identify and treat these disorders are making a difference between health and disability, and even life and death, for the children affected by these severe diseases.\u201d\r\nNewborn screening is run by individual states, but the original 2008 Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act first encouraged states to uniformly test for a recommended set of disorders, and provided resources for individual states to grow their own screening programs.\u00a0\u00a0 Before that legislation, state screening varied greatly, with only 10 states requiring infants to be screened for all the treatable \u201ccore conditions\u201d recommended.\u00a0 Today, most states require screening for at least 29 of the 31 core conditions.\r\nThe test consists of a simple prick on the heel of newborns before they leave the hospital.\u00a0 That blood sample tests for serious genetic, metabolic, or hearing disorders that may not be apparent at birth.\u00a0 Without the test, parents may have no way of knowing their child needs treatment. \r\n\u201cNewborn screening represents a major public health success story that has preserved the lives and health of tens of thousands of newborns,\u201d stated March of Dimes President Dr. Jennifer L. Howse.\u00a0 \u201cThe March of Dimes is deeply grateful to Rep. Mike Simpson for being a tireless champion of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act.\u00a0 With this legislation, we have ensured that the over 20,000 babies born in Idaho each year will continue to receive potentially life-saving newborn screening tests.\u201d\r\n\u201cBesides the obvious benefit to families who suffer an enormous emotional and economic burden when a one of these conditions goes undiagnosed for too long, this legislation is a powerful tool for savings in our already overburdened health care system,\u201d added Simpson. \u201cAs a former dentist, I have seen the value of diagnosing and treating a condition early in a child\u2019s life, and this bill will help strengthen newborn screening across the country.\u201d \r\nOne example is found in a 2012 study on severe combined immunodeficiency, known as SCID, which is one of the 31 core conditions recommended for state screening.\u00a0 The Medicaid cost of treating a baby with SCID in the first two years can be $2 million dollars or more.\u00a0 Yet an infant diagnosed early can be cured through a bone marrow transplant in the first three months of life, costing $100,000. \r\nThe amended bill already passed in the Senate, and now with House passage heads to the President\u2019s desk for a signature.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://simpson.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398376"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.1152643710374832, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}