SB 529

Under current law, if a hospital employee who provides health care, social

worker, or intake worker of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under the

Children's Code (juvenile court intake worker) suspects that an infant has controlled

substances in the infant's bodily fluids because of the use of those substances by the

infant's mother while she was pregnant with the infant, the hospital employee, social

worker, or juvenile court intake worker may refer the infant to a physician for testing

of the infant's bodily fluids for those substances. If the physician determines that

there is a serious risk that there are controlled substances in the infant's bodily fluids

because of the use of those substances by the mother and that the health of the infant

may be adversely affected by those substances, the physician may test the infant to

ascertain whether the infant has those substances in the infant's bodily fluids. If the

test indicates that the infant does have controlled substances in the infant's bodily

fluids, the physician must report that condition to the agency that is responsible for

conducting child abuse and neglect investigations under the Children's Code and

that agency must offer services and treatment for the infant and mother.

This bill: 1) requires a hospital employee who provides health care, a social

worker, or a juvenile court intake worker who suspects that an infant has fetal

alcohol spectrum disorder to refer the infant to a physician for an evaluation to

diagnose whether the infant has that disorder; 2) requires a physician who

determines that there is a serious risk that an infant has fetal alcohol spectrum

disorder to evaluate the infant to diagnose whether the infant has that disorder; 3)

requires a physician who diagnoses that an infant has fetal alcohol spectrum

disorder to report that diagnosis to the agency responsible for conducting child abuse

and neglect investigations; and 4) requires that agency to offer services and

treatment for the infant and the infant's mother.