Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-3112
Sponsor: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]
Introduced: 2007-07-19 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Adoption
Birth defects
Child development
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Communication in medicine
Communication in science
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Data banks
Directories
Down's syndrome
Economics and Public Finance
Electronic government information
Epidemiology
Families
Family services
Fetus
Genetic counseling
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Health counseling
Health education
Health information systems
Health surveys
Hereditary diseases
Imaging systems in medicine
Internet
Life expectancy
Maternal health services
Medical records
Medical statistics
Medical tests
Patients' rights
Quality of life
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Telephone
Vital statistics
Web sites

Summary:
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: 
Prenatally Diagnosed Condition Awareness Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through either the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to authorize and oversee certain activities relating to Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions, including the awarding of grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to: (1) collect, synthesize, and disseminate current scientific information; and (2) coordinate the provision of, and access to, supportive services for patients affected, which shall include a telephone hotline, an information clearinghouse, peer-support programs, and registries of families willing to adopt children affected by such conditions.

Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of CDC, to provide assistance to state and local heath departments to integrate the results of prenatal testing into state-based vital statistics and birth defects surveillance programs.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that a provider is only able to participate in activities under this Act if it provides assurances that it will provide a patient receiving a positive result from a prenatal test with certain information, including: (1) up-to-date scientific information concerning the life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options for a fetus diagnosed with, or a child born with, such conditions; and (2) referrals to supportive service providers.

 Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit a report to Congress concerning the effectiveness of current health care and family support programs serving as resources for the families of children with disabilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-04-23
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2008-04-23
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Introduced in House