An Act To Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding and Eye Damage in Infants
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0443
Committee Amendment CA_A_S153 (Senate)
Amends: 22 MRSA §1531

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " /t " to S.P. 121, L.D. 443, Bill, "An Act To 
Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding and Eye Damage in Infants" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1531, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 848, §2, is repealed and the 
following enacted in its place: 
§1531. Care of infants after birth 
1. 
Prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and reporting requirement. 
Everv 
physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall instill or cause to be instilled into the eyes of 
an infant within 24 hours after its birth prophylactic ophthalmic ointment prescribed by 
the department and provided without cost by the department. If one or both eyes of an 
infant become reddened or inflamed at any time within 4 weeks after birth, the midwife, 
nurse or person having charge of the infant shall report the condition of the eyes at once 
to a physician licensed under Title 32, chapter 36 or 48. 
2. 
Vitamin K injection. 
Every physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall 
administer 0.5 or 1 milligram, based on the infant's weight, of vitamin K to an infant 
intramuscularly within 6 hours after the infant's birth. 
3. 
Rulemaking. 
The department shall adopt rules to implement this section, 
including, but not limited to, creating and making publicly available a brochure about the 
medical benefits and risks of administering the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and 
vitamin K injection, and providing a form on which a parent can refuse the prophylactic 
ophthalmic ointment or vitamin K injection for the infant of that parent. 
Sec. 2. Department of Health and Human Services to amend form. The 
Department of Health and Human Services shall amend its newborn blood spot screening 
refusal form to include a section permitting a parent to refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic 
ointment or vitamin K injection required under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, 
section 1531 for the infant of that parent. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" J· "to S.P. 121, L.D. 443 
,,~ :·, . ·, S :, 
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention 0143 
Initiative: Provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to create 
and provide brochures about the medical benefits and risks of the prophylactic ointment 
and vitamin K treatments. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2019-20 
$7,500 
$7,500 
2020-21 
$2,500 
$2,500 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the unanimous report of the committee, replaces the bill. 
Current law requires every physician, midwife or nurse in charge to instill or cause to be 
instilled into the eyes of an infant within 24 hours after the infant's birth prophylactic eye 
drops, except for an infant whose parents object to this procedure on the grounds that it 
conflicts with their religious tenets and practices. This amendment updates the term "eye 
drops" to "ophthalmic ointment" to reflect current practice, removes the civil penalties for 
noncompliance and removes the exemption based on religious tenets and practices. 
This amendment also requires every physician, midwife or nurse in charge at the 
birth of an infant to administer vitamin K to an infant intramuscularly to prevent vitamin 
K deficiency bleeding in infants within 6 hours after the infant's birth. 
It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules to implement 
this section, including, but not limited to, creating and making publicly available a 
brochure about the medical benefits and risks of administering the prophylactic 
ophthalmic ointment and vitamin K injection and providing a form on which a parent can 
refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and vitamin K injection for the infant of that 
parent. It also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to amend its 
newborn blood spot screening refusal form to include a section permitting a parent to 
refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and vitamin K injection for the infant of that 
parent. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/19/19 feac:.. 
LD443 
LR 1514(02) 
An Act To Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding and Eye Damage in Infants 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'r,"l 5 ·· I ·::;·7 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY2019-20 
FY 2020-21 
$7,500 
$2,500 
$7,500 
$2,500 
Projections 
FY2021-22 
$2,500 
$2,500 
Projections 
FY2022-23 
$2,500 
$2,500 
The bill includes General Fund appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services of $7,500 in fiscal 
year 2019-20 and $2,500 in fiscal year 2020-21 to create and provide brochures about the medical benefits and risks 
of the prophylactic ointment and vitamin K treatments. 
LR1514(02) - Fiscal Note - Page I of I