Senate Bill No. 2334 Summary

• Establishes North Dakota's newborn screening program for metabolic and genetic diseases, including parental opt-out rights with written documentation submitted to the department.

• Expands the definition of "responsible clinician" to include midwives, naturopaths, and birth attendants in addition to licensed physicians and advanced practice registered nurses.

• Requires parental or guardian authorization for any research conducted on blood spots, specimens, or registry data maintained by the department through institutional review board processes.

• Mandates pulse oximetry screening for critical congenital heart defects before hospital discharge of newborns, with parental opt-out provisions and clarification that this is not a metabolic or genetic disease test.

• Allows screening and confirmatory-diagnostic testing laboratories to charge fees for necessary services, replacing the previous state fee collection system.