20250AB__266199INT INTRODUCED 2026-02-20 2025 AB INT Introduced by Assembly Member Patterson LEAD_AUTHOR ASSEMBLY Patterson

An act to amend

Section of, and to add

Section to, the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health. public health Search warrants: newborn screening program. Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a genetic disease unit to, among other responsibilities, promote a statewide program of information, testing, and counseling services related to genetic diseases, and administer that information, testing, and counseling to each child born in the state, as specified. Existing law requires all information obtained from persons involved in hereditary disorders programs to be held strictly confidential.

Existing law sets forth the grounds and procedures for the issuance of a search warrant and authorizes the issuance of a search warrant upon specified grounds, including that the property or things to be seized consist of an item or constitute evidence that tends to show a felony has been committed or that a particular person has committed a felony.

This bill would authorize the department to release a portion of the newborn blood specimen card taken from a newborn pursuant to a formal request from a coroner to identify unidentified human remains or to law enforcement in response to a search warrant if the objective of the warrant is to obtain the DNA of a missing person suspected to be a victim of homicide, kidnapping, child abuse resulting in death, or manslaughter.

Existing law requires the department, commencing July 1, 2026, to annually generate a report to the Legislature regarding the newborn screening program, including, among other things, the number of new residual screening specimens collected during the previous calendar year. This bill also would require the report to include the number of requests from a coroner and search warrants received by the department and the number of disclosures granted in response to those requests and warrants. MAJORITY NO YES NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section is added to the Health and Safety Code , to read: 125003. (

a) The department may release a portion of the newborn blood specimen card taken from a newborn to law enforcement pursuant to a formal request from a coroner to identify unidentified human remains or in response to a search warrant if the objective of the warrant is to obtain the DNA of a missing person suspected to be a victim of homicide, kidnapping, child abuse resulting in death, or manslaughter.

SEC. 2.

Section of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 125010. Commencing July 1, 2026, and each July thereafter, the State Department of Public Health shall generate a report that includes each of the following: (

a) The total number of any residual screening specimens stored by the California Biobank Program. (

b) The number of new residual screening specimens collected during the previous calendar year. (

c) The number of inheritable conditions identified by the original screening tests during the previous calendar year. (

d) The number of projects utilizing specimens from the California Biobank Program. (

e) The number of published research studies where biospecimens from the California Biobank Program were used or referenced and the potential public health benefits from the research. (

f) The number of specimens provided by the California Biobank Program for each research project. (

g) The number of screening tests waived for religious purposes during the previous calendar year. (

h) The number of residual screening specimens destroyed at the request of a parent or adult during the previous calendar year. (

i) The number of residual screening samples remaining to be destroyed at the request of a parent or adult during the previous calendar year. (

j) The number of requests from a coroner and search warrants received by the California Biobank Program, as described in

Section 125003, during the previous calendar year. (

k) The number of disclosures granted by the California Biobank Program pursuant to a request from a coroner or a search warrant, as described in

Section 125003, during the previous calendar year.