Bill > AB1063

This bill amends California's Health and Safety Code to establish strict guidelines for law enforcement access to newborn blood screening samples. Specifically, the bill allows the State Department of Public Health to release a newborn's physical blood test to law enforcement via search warrant only in very limited circumstances: when the objective is to obtain DNA from a missing person suspected to be a victim of homicide, child abuse resulting in death, or manslaughter, and solely for the purpose of comparing the DNA to the Department of Justice Missing Persons DNA Database. The bill explicitly prohibits law enforcement from requesting such warrants for other purposes, such as determining suspects, creating suspect DNA databases, or establishing guilt. Additionally, the bill requires the department to include in its annual report, starting in July 2026, the number of search warrants received related to newborn blood samples and the number of disclosures granted under these specific conditions. This legislation aims to protect the privacy of newborn medical information while providing a narrow pathway for using these samples in critical missing persons investigations involving potential homicide or severe child abuse.

Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB1063