In his introductory remarks, Senator Chris Dodd stated that the legislation "protect[s] the most vulnerable members of our society: newborn infants.

"[2] Newborn Screening is a proven life saving and effective public health tool used to identify thousands of babies in the U.S. born with genetic, metabolic, and congenital conditions.

At the time of the legislation's passage, only 15 States along with the District of Columbia required newborns to be screened for 29 core conditions as recommended by the Health Resources and Services Administration/American College of Medical Genetics' 2004 Report.

This legislation has allowed HRSA to spearhead the creation of federal recommendations on newborn screening, and assists State programs in meeting these requirements.

It also facilitates the establishment of grant programs to support education and outreach initiatives to increase adoption and knowledge of newborn screening.

Furthermore, it gives HRSA the power to establish, maintain, and operate a system designed to evaluate and manage treatments concerning congenital, genetic, and metabolic disorders.

Amended section 1111 of the PHSA to reauthorize and expanded the role of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (SACHDNC).

The HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau awarded Genetic Alliance a cooperative agreement to develop this clearinghouse in 2009.

Added section 1114 of the PHSA to require the Health and Human Services Secretary to establish an Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC) on newborn screening to make recommendations on various programs.

Currently, the ICC is charged with coordinating the newborn and child screening collaborating efforts across all the agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services.

It also has responsibility to identify policy issues that require attention or action by federal agencies pertaining to heritable disorders in newborns and children.

More specifically, it requires the CDC to develop a national contingency plan for newborn screening to prepare for a possible public health emergency.

Twila Brase, the president of the Minnesota based activist group, voiced concerns over the storage of bloodspots, and is a strong proponent of having all bio-banks destroyed.

State laboratories have been known to turn down requests from law enforcement to access NBS data and samples, even in cases for the identification of missing children.

Since the passage of NBSSLA, the Secretary Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children has added Severe Combined Immunodeficiences (SCID) and Critical Congenital Heart Disease (CCHD) to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP).