House health panel advances bills to combat elevated blood lead levels, fetal alcohol syndrome

The Michigan House Committee on Health Policy voted on Wednesday morning to advance two packages of bills to combat childhood lead exposure and fetal alcohol syndrome. 

Two of the three bills on lead exposure were not reported, however, and were instead referred to the House Committee on Rules.

House Bill 4864, would alter Michigan’s definition of an elevated blood lead level to match current standards under the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently, Michigan law defines an elevated blood lead level as a concentration of 20 micrograms per deciliter, or 10 micrograms per deciliter for children ages six and under. The CDC defines an elevated blood lead level as 3.5 micrograms per deciliter.  HB 4894, sponsored by state Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), seeks to align Michigan’s state standards with that. 

House Bill 5975 would require the referral of children under the age of three years old with elevated blood lead levels to the Early On program, administered by the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, or MiLEAP, which “provides services and support for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or certain health conditions.”

Both bills were referred to the House Committee on Rules.

The third bill in the package, House Bill 4865, would require testing of baby foods for heavy metals. The bill was reported to the House floor. 

All three of the bills moved through the committee without any votes in opposition, with one member passing on each vote: Rep. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville) on HB 4864 and HB 4865, and Rep. Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown) on HB 5975. 

Thompson also passed on both votes seeking to combat fetal alcohol syndrome, including House Bill 5774, which similarly would require referrals to the Early On program. Sponsored by state Rep. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit), HB 5774 was also referred to House Rules. 

House Bill 5773 was reported to the House floor. It would require medical professionals to refer patients to a diagnostic center for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in two specific cases — if a minor patient is being treated for a condition related to prenatal alcohol exposure, or if a patient is known or suspected to be consuming alcohol during their pregnancy.