Two bills aimed at expanding Pennsylvania’s Newborn Screening Program to include Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Gaucher disease have passed unanimously in the House Health Committee, according to Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), the committee’s Republican chair.
Rapp explained that while there is an established process for the Newborn Screening and Follow-up Technical Advisory Board (NSFTAB) to add diseases without new legislation, concerns have been raised about delays. “While there is a process in place for the Newborn Screening and Follow-up Technical Advisory Board (NSFTAB) to add diseases to the program without legislation, we’ve heard concerns about a lack of urgency from the board to do so,” Rapp said. “I do hope the board considers these two diseases far quicker than legislation can be passed, but these bills serve as solid backup plans to ensure these diseases can be detected as early as possible.”
The committee also gave unanimous approval to a bill updating state law regarding epinephrine use in schools. The measure would change references in the Public School Code from “epinephrine auto-injectors” to “epinephrine delivery system,” allowing schools to use alternative forms such as nasal sprays.
On Monday, members of the House Health Committee participated in a joint hearing with the House Education Committee focused on cell phone use in schools. Following testimony from various stakeholders, Rapp commented:
“I want to thank all the testifiers who spoke on a very important issue facing our students. Some of the testimony was very eye-opening and concerning to me. While cell phones are a fact of everyday life for a vast majority of people, they play an especially significant role in the lives of today’s youth due to social media.
“The General Assembly must decide whether a statewide ban or restriction is the best course of action, or whether we should leave these decisions up to local officials, namely school boards, and the citizens who elect them to govern their specific school district. If we were to consider legislation, I have several concerns that need to be addressed before I could support it.
“These concerns include the cost of any potential storage solutions, such as lockboxes; deciding who takes responsibility if a student’s phone is lost, stolen or damaged while in the school’s possession; and a parent’s right to be able to contact their child in case of an emergency. Also, any legislation would need to account for certain exceptions. Examples that come to mind are medical reasons, cases with students for whom English is a second language and they need a translator app on their phone to help them communicate better, 504 plans, and students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Under federal law, IEPs can supersede conflicting school policies to meet the specific educational needs of students.“In the end, parents can limit where their children can take their phones, and if a parent doesn’t want their child to take their phone to school, that is a decision the parent can make. Each school district is in a better position to know what type of policy fits their district and their students. The best course of action may be to enact a law to require each school district to have a cell phone policy, so that ultimately the policy is up to each school district.”
