HB 433: Newborn screening; evaluation of disorders for inclusion, process for considering other disorders. - Virginia

Studies Subcommittee Subcommittee Substitute → Finance and Appropriations Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was moved from the House to the Senate, changing the bill number and the proposing committee. The most significant change is the addition of a funding requirement: the Department of Health can no longer add new disorders to the newborn screening program without specific state appropriations, unless private funding is available. This ensures that new screening tests are only implemented if the General Assembly has approved the necessary costs.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding the addition of new disorders to the newborn screening program is now strictly limited by state budget availability, whereas previously the department had more autonomy to proceed with rulemaking.

FISCAL

New requirement that the Department must receive a specific appropriation from the General Assembly before evaluating or adding any disorder not on the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel, unless private funding covers the costs.

REQUIREMENT

Mandate for the Department to report any determination to add a disorder to the General Assembly, including an assessment of estimated costs and fiscal impact on test fees.

TIMELINE

The process for adding disorders is now contingent on legislative funding approval, effectively pausing the automatic timeline for rulemaking until appropriations are secured.

TECHNICAL

Administrative details updated to reflect the bill's transfer from the House to the Senate, including a new bill number and the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee as the proposing body.

Finance and Appropriations Substitute → Chaptered · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was finalized into law, changing its status from a proposed Senate substitute to an enacted chapter. The most significant substantive change is the addition of a new requirement that the Department of Health must complete its evaluation and recommendation for any disorder added to the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) before January 1, 2026, subject to funding. Additionally, the criteria for considering non-RUSP disorders were updated to explicitly require the availability of a newborn screening assay and an FDA-approved treatment.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on newborn screening requirements, but the timeline for evaluating new federal disorders has been tightened with a specific pre-deadline.

TIMELINE

Added a mandatory deadline requiring the Department of Health to complete evaluations and recommendations for RUSP disorders added before January 1, 2026, subject to available funding.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the criteria for adding non-RUSP disorders to explicitly require the availability of a newborn screening assay and a treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document status from a 'Senate Substitute' proposal to an 'Enacted Chapter' of the Virginia Acts of Assembly.

Enrolled → Rules Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was formatted from an 'Enrolled' version into a 'Rules Substitute' draft, which is a procedural step in the legislative process. The substantive text of the law regarding newborn screening requirements, evaluation timelines, and reporting duties remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was updated to reflect its status as a Rules Substitute offered for consideration, replacing the Enrolled Act header with draft formatting and page numbers.

Introduced → Enrolled · 3 edits · Apr 8, 2026

MINOR

The bill was enacted into law, finalizing the text of HB 433 which updates Virginia's newborn screening laws. The primary substantive change is the replacement of a specific list of disorders the Department of Health was required to evaluate with a requirement to establish a formal, ongoing process for considering new disorders. The bill also adds a deadline for the Department to complete evaluations for disorders added to the federal panel before January 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on newborn screening requirements, but the specific list of disorders to be evaluated was removed in favor of a broader procedural requirement.

REQUIREMENT

The specific list of nine disorders (such as Sanfilippo syndrome and Gaucher disease) that the Department of Health was required to evaluate was removed and replaced with a mandate to create a formal evaluation process for non-RUSP disorders.

TIMELINE

A new requirement was added for the Department of Health to complete its evaluation and recommendation for any disorder added to the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) prior to January 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The document was converted from an introduced draft to an enrolled final law, including formatting adjustments and the addition of official approval headers.

Rules Substitute → Studies Subcommittee Subcommittee Substitute · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a standard layout to a 'House Substitute' version with different header styling and page numbering. The substantive legal content regarding newborn screening requirements, evaluation timelines, and reporting duties remains identical to the original version.

TECHNICAL

The document layout was changed from a standard 'Rules Substitute' format to a 'House Substitute' format, including updated headers and page number placement, but the actual legal text and policy provisions did not change.

Newborn screening; evaluation of disorders for inclusion, process for considering other disorders.

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