Nov. 19, 2025
HARRISBURG — Rep. Kathy L. Rapp (R-Warren/Crawford/Forest), Republican chair of the House Health Committee, announced today two bills to add two rare diseases to Pennsylvania’s Newborn Screening Program have unanimously cleared the committee.
House Bill 1715 would add Duchenne muscular dystrophy to the program and
House Bill 1652 would add Gaucher disease to the program.
“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 unanimously approved a bill to update state laws to allow schools to use alternative forms of life-saving medication for people with serious allergic reactions.
House Bill 1043 would amend the Public School Code to replace references to epinephrine auto-injectors with the term epinephrine delivery system, which would include alternatives like nasal sprays.
Monday, the committee took part in a joint hearing with the House Education Committee on cell phones in schools. Rapp issued this statement following the hearing:
“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.”
Representative Kathy Rapp
65th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jake Gillespie
717.772.9834
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