ARTICLE 1. Hereditary Disorders Act [124975. - 124996.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 1.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124975. Section 124975.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that: (a) Each person in the State of California is entitled to health care commensurate with his or her health care needs, and to protection from inadequate health services not in the person’s best interests. (b) Hereditary disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and hemophilia, are often costly, tragic, and sometimes deadly burdens to the health and well-being of the citizens of this state. (c) Detection through screening of hereditary disorders can lead to the alleviation of the disability of some hereditary disorders and contribute to the further understanding and accumulation of medical knowledge about hereditary disorders that may lead to their eventual alleviation or cure. (d) There are different severities of hereditary disorders, that some hereditary disorders have little effect on the normal functioning of individuals, and that some hereditary disorders may be wholly or partially alleviated through medical intervention and treatment. (e) All or most persons are carriers of some deleterious recessive genes that may be transmitted through the hereditary process, and that the health of carriers of hereditary disorders is substantially unaffected by that fact. (f) Carriers of most deleterious genes should not be stigmatized and should not be discriminated against by any person within the State of California. (g) Specific legislation designed to alleviate the problems associated with specific hereditary disorders may tend to be inflexible in the face of rapidly expanding medical knowledge, underscoring the need for flexible approaches to coping with genetic problems. (h) State policy regarding hereditary disorders should be made with full public knowledge, in light of expert opinion and should be constantly reviewed to consider changing medical knowledge and ensure full public protection. (i) The extremely personal decision to bear children should remain the free choice and responsibility of the individual, and should not be restricted by the state. (j) Participation of persons in hereditary disorders programs in the State of California should be wholly voluntary, except for initial screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) and other genetic disorders treatable through the California newborn screening program. All information obtained from persons involved in hereditary disorders programs in the state should be held strictly confidential. (k) In order to minimize the possibility for the reoccurrence of abuse of genetic intervention in hereditary disorders programs, all programs offering screening programs for heredity disorders shall comply with the principles established in the Hereditary Disorders Act (Section 27). The Legislature finds it necessary to establish a uniform statewide policy for the screening for heredity disorder in the State of California.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124977. Section 124977.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that, unless otherwise specified, the genetic disease testing program carried out pursuant to this chapter be fully supported from fees collected for services provided by the program. (b) (1) The department shall charge a fee to all payers for any test or activity performed pursuant to this chapter. The amount of the fee shall be established by regulation and periodically adjusted by the director in order to meet the costs of this chapter. Notwithstanding any other law, any fee charged for prenatal screening and followup services provided to a person enrolled in the Medi-Cal program, health care service plan enrollee, or person covered by a health insurance policy shall be paid in full and deposited in the Genetic Disease Testing Fund or the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund consistent with this section. (2) The department shall expeditiously undertake all steps necessary to implement the fee collection process, including personnel, contracts, and data processing, to initiate the fee collection process at the earliest opportunity. (3) Effective for services provided on and after July 1, 2002, the department shall charge a fee to the hospital of birth or, for births not occurring in a hospital, to families of the newborn for newborn screening and followup services. The hospital of birth and families of newborns born outside the hospital shall make payment in full to the Genetic Disease Testing Fund. The department shall not charge or bill Medi-Cal beneficiaries for services provided pursuant to this chapter. (4) (A) The department shall charge a fee for prenatal screening to support the pregnancy blood sample storage, testing, and research activities of the Birth Defects Monitoring Program. (B) The prenatal screening fee for activities of the Birth Defects Monitoring Program shall be ten dollars ($10). (5) The department shall set guidelines for invoicing, charging, and collecting from approved researchers the amount necessary to cover all expenses associated with research application requests made pursuant to this section, data linkage, retrieval, data processing, data entry, reinventory, reporting, and shipping of blood samples or their components, and related data management. (6) The only funds from the Genetic Disease Testing Fund that may be used for the purpose of supporting the pregnancy blood sample storage, testing, and research activities of the Birth Defects Monitoring Program are those prenatal screening fees assessed and collected prior to the creation of the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund specifically to support those Birth Defects Monitoring Program activities. (7) (A) The Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury. Fee revenues that are collected pursuant to paragraph (4) shall be deposited into the fund and shall be available upon appropriation by the Legislature to support the pregnancy blood sample storage, testing, and research activities, including reporting, of the Birth Defects Monitoring Program. (B) Notwithstanding Section 16305.7 of the Government Code, interest earned on funds in the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund shall be deposited as revenue into the fund to support the Birth Defects Monitoring Program. (c) (1) The Legislature finds that timely implementation of changes in genetic screening programs and continuous maintenance of quality statewide services requires expeditious regulatory and administrative procedures to obtain the most cost-effective electronic data processing, hardware, software services, testing equipment, and testing and followup services. (2) The expenditure of funds from the Genetic Disease Testing Fund for these purposes is not subject to Section 12102 of, and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) of Part 2 of Division 2 of, the Public Contract Code or to Division 25.2 (commencing with Section 38070) of this code. The department shall provide the Department of Finance with documentation that equipment and services have been obtained at the lowest cost consistent with technical requirements for a comprehensive high-quality program. (3) The expenditure of funds from the Genetic Disease Testing Fund for implementation of the Tandem Mass Spectrometry screening for fatty acid oxidation, amino acid, and organic acid disorders, and screening for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, may be implemented through the amendment of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System contracts and is not subject to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12100) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, and any policy, procedure, regulation, or manual authorized by those laws. (4) (A) The expenditure of funds from the Genetic Disease Testing Fund for the expansion of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System to include cystic fibrosis, biotinidase, severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), and any other disease that is detectable in blood samples, as specified in subdivision (d) of Section 125001, may be implemented through the amendment of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System contracts and shall not be subject to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) or Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12100) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, or Sections 4800 to 5180, inclusive, of the State Administrative Manual as they relate to approval of information technology projects or approval of increases in the duration or costs of information technology projects. (B) This paragraph shall apply to the design, development, and implementation of the expansion and to the maintenance and operation of the Genetic Disease Branch Screening Information System, including change requests, once the expansion is implemented. (d) (1) (A) The department may adopt emergency regulations to implement and make specific this chapter in accordance with Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (B) For the purposes of the Administrative Procedure Act, the adoption of regulations shall be deemed an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. (C) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, these emergency regulations shall not be subject to the review and approval of the Office of Administrative Law. (D) Notwithstanding Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, the department shall submit these regulations directly to the Secretary of State for filing. (E) The regulations shall become effective immediately upon filing by the Secretary of State. (F) Regulations shall be subject to public hearing within 120 days of filing with the Secretary of State and shall comply with Sections 11346.8 and 11346.9 of the Government Code or shall be repealed. (2) (A) The Office of Administrative Law shall provide for the printing and publication of these regulations in the California Code of Regulations. (B) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter shall not be repealed by the Office of Administrative Law and shall remain in effect until revised or repealed by the department. (3) The Legislature finds and declares that the health and safety of California newborns is in part dependent on an effective and adequately staffed genetic disease program, the cost of which shall be supported by the fees generated by the program.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124980. Section 124980.

The director shall establish any regulations and standards for hereditary disorders programs as the director deems necessary to promote and protect the public health and safety. Standards shall include licensure of master level genetic counselors and doctoral level geneticists. Regulations adopted shall implement the principles established in this section. These principles shall include, but not be limited to, the following: (a) The public, especially communities and groups particularly affected by programs on hereditary disorders, should be consulted before any regulations and standards are adopted by the department. (b) The incidence, severity, and treatment costs of each hereditary disorder and its perceived burden by the affected community should be considered and, where appropriate, state and national experts in the medical, psychological, ethical, social, and economic effects or programs for the detection and management of hereditary disorders shall be consulted by the department. (c) Information on the operation of all programs on hereditary disorders within the state, except for confidential information obtained from participants in the programs, shall be open and freely available to the public. (d) Clinical testing procedures established for use in programs, facilities, and projects shall be accurate, provide maximum information, and the testing procedures selected shall produce results that are subject to minimum misinterpretation. (e) No test or tests may be performed on any minor over the objection of the minor’s parents or guardian, nor may any tests be performed unless the parent or guardian is fully informed of the purposes of testing for hereditary disorders and is given reasonable opportunity to object to the testing. (f) No testing, except initial screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) and other diseases that may be added to the newborn screening program, shall require mandatory participation, and no testing programs shall require restriction of childbearing, and participation in a testing program shall not be a prerequisite to eligibility for, or receipt of, any other service or assistance from, or to participate in, any other program, except where necessary to determine eligibility for further programs of diagnoses of or therapy for hereditary conditions. (g) Pretest and posttest counseling services for hereditary disorders shall be available through the program or a referral source for all persons determined to be or who believe themselves to be at risk for a hereditary disorder. Genetic counseling shall be provided by a physician, a certified advanced practice nurse with a genetics specialty, or other appropriately trained licensed health care professional and shall be nondirective, shall emphasize informing the client, and shall not require restriction of childbearing. (h) All participants in programs on hereditary disorders shall be protected from undue physical and mental harm, and except for initial screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) and other diseases that may be added to newborn screening programs, shall be informed of the nature of risks involved in participation in the programs, and those determined to be affected with genetic disease shall be informed of the nature, and where possible the cost, of available therapies or maintenance programs, and shall be informed of the possible benefits and risks associated with these therapies and programs. (i) All testing results and personal information generated from hereditary disorders programs shall be made available to an individual over 18 years of age, or to the individual’s parent or guardian. If the individual is a minor or incompetent, all testing results that have positively determined the individual to either have, or be a carrier of, a hereditary disorder shall be given through a physician or other source of health care. (j) All testing results and personal information from hereditary disorders programs obtained from any individual, or from specimens from any individual, shall be held confidential and be considered a confidential medical record except for information that the individual, parent, or guardian consents to be released, provided that the individual is first fully informed of the scope of the information requested to be released, of all of the risks, benefits, and purposes for the release, and of the identity of those to whom the information will be released or made available, except for data compiled without reference to the identity of any individual, and except for research purposes, provided that pursuant to Subpart A (commencing with Section 46.101) of Part 46 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations entitled “Basic HHS Policy for Protection of Human Subjects,” the research has first been reviewed and approved by an institutional review board that certifies the approval to the custodian of the information and further certifies that in its judgment the information is of such potentially substantial public health value that modification of the requirement for legally effective prior informed consent of the individual is ethically justifiable. (k) A physician providing information to patients on expanded newborn screening shall disclose to the parent the physician’s financial interest, if any, in the laboratory to which the patient is being referred. ( l ) An individual whose confidentiality has been breached as a result of any violation of the provisions of the Hereditary Disorders Act, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 27, may recover compensatory and civil damages. Any person who negligently breaches the confidentiality of an individual tested under this article shall be subject to civil damages of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), reasonable attorney’s fees, and the costs of litigation. Any person who knowingly breaches the confidentiality of an individual tested under this article shall be subject to payment of compensatory damages, and in addition, may be subject to civil damages of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), reasonable attorney’s fees, and the costs of litigation, or imprisonment in the county jail of not more than one year. If the offense is committed under false pretenses, the person may be subject to a fine of not more than one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), imprisonment in the county jail of not more than one year, or both. If the offense is committed with the intent to sell, transfer, or use individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm, the person may be subject to a fine of not more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), imprisonment in the county jail of not more than one year, or both. (m) “Genetic counseling” as used in this section shall not include communications that occur between patients and appropriately trained and competent licensed health care professionals, such as physicians, registered nurses, and physicians assistants who are operating within the scope of their license and qualifications as defined by their licensing authority.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124981. Section 124981.

(a) A person shall not use the title of genetic counselor unless the person has applied for and obtained a license from the department. (b) The applicant for a genetic counselor license shall meet minimum qualifications that include, but are not limited to, both of the following: (1) Has earned a master’s degree or above from a program specializing in or having substantial course content in genetics. (2) Has demonstrated competence by an examination administered or approved by the department. (c) The license shall be valid for three years unless at any time during that period it is revoked or suspended. The license may be renewed prior to the expiration of the three-year period. (d) To qualify to renew the license, a licenseholder shall have completed 45 hours of continuing education units during the three-year license renewal period. At least 30 hours of the continuing education units shall be in genetics. (e) (1) The fee for an original license and license renewal shall be three hundred dollars ($300). (2) (A) The department may adjust these fees to an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500). (B) The department shall solicit input from affected stakeholders before raising fees under this subdivision.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124982. Section 124982.

(a) The department shall issue a temporary genetic counselor license to a person to practice as a licensed genetic counselor who meets all of the following: (1) The requirements for licensure set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 124981, except passing the certification examination as required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 124981. (2) Either of the following requirements: (A) The person meets the requirements to apply for and has applied for the first available certification examination offered. The department may require an applicant for a temporary genetic counselor license to provide documentation of acceptance for the examination. (B) The person meets the requirements to apply for the certification examination and plans to apply to sit for the examination in the year following the year of the first available examination. The department shall require the applicant to provide documentation showing registration for the examination, when the documentation is received by the applicant. After the applicant takes the examination, the department shall require the applicant to provide documentation showing that the applicant took the examination. (3) (A) The fee for a temporary license shall be three hundred dollars ($300). (B) (i) The department may adjust this fee to an amount not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500). (ii) The department shall solicit input from affected stakeholders before raising fees under this paragraph. (b) A temporary genetic counselor license shall be valid for 24 months and shall not be extended or renewed. (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a temporary license issued pursuant to this section shall expire upon any of the following events, whichever occurs earlier: (1) The issuance of a license pursuant to Section 124981. (2) Thirty days after notification of the department that an applicant has failed the certification examination. (3) The expiration date on the temporary license. (d) A person holding a temporary genetic counselor license issued pursuant to this section, shall be required to work under the supervision of a licensed genetic counselor or a licensed physician and surgeon. (e) The department may revoke the temporary license of a genetic counselor licensed pursuant to this section if the person has been convicted of a felony charge that is substantially related to the qualifications, functions, or duties of a genetic counselor. A plea of guilty or nolo contendere to a felony charge shall be deemed a conviction for the purposes of this subdivision.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124985. Section 124985.

A violation of any of the provisions of the Hereditary Disorders Act (Section 27) or any of the regulations adopted pursuant to that act shall be punishable as a misdemeanor.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124990. Section 124990.

For the purposes of the Hereditary Disorders Act (Section 27), hereditary disorders programs shall include, but not be limited to, all antenatal, neonatal, childhood, and adult screening programs, and all adjunct genetic counseling services.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124991. Section 124991.

(a) (1) The Birth Defects Monitoring Program, within the State Department of Public Health, shall collect and store any umbilical cord blood samples it receives from hospitals for storage and research. For purposes of ensuring financial stability, the Birth Defects Monitoring Program shall ensure that the following conditions, alone or in combination, are met: (A) The fees paid by researchers pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be used for, and be sufficient to cover the cost of, collecting and storing blood samples, including umbilical cord blood samples. (B) The department receives confirmation that a researcher has requested umbilical cord blood samples from the Birth Defects Monitoring Program for research or has requested umbilical cord blood samples to be included within a request for pregnancy or newborn blood samples through the program and has provided satisfactory evidence that adequate funding will be provided to the department from the fees paid by the researcher for the request. (C) The department receives federal grant moneys to pay for initial startup costs for the collection and storage of umbilical cord blood samples. (2) The department may limit the number of umbilical cord blood samples the program collects each year. (b) (1) All information relating to umbilical cord blood samples collected and utilized by the department shall be confidential, and shall be used solely for the purposes of the program, or, if approved by the department, research. Access to confidential information shall be limited to authorized persons who agree, in writing, to maintain the confidentiality of that information. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, when the blood samples specified in subdivision (c), including those samples with any information identifying the person from whom the samples were obtained, are stored, processed, analyzed, or otherwise shared for research purposes with nondepartment staff, those samples may be shared by the program with department-authorized researchers for research purposes, and department representatives approved by the department, subject to the confidentiality and security requirements for confidential information established in this section and in Section 103850. (2) The department shall maintain an accurate record of all persons who are given confidential information pursuant to this section, and any disclosure of confidential information shall be made only upon written agreement that the information will be kept confidential, used for its approved purpose, and not be further disclosed. (3) A person who, in violation of a written agreement to maintain confidentiality, discloses information provided pursuant to this section, or who uses information provided pursuant to this section in a manner other than as approved pursuant to this section may be denied further access to confidential information maintained by the department, and shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000). The penalty provided in this section does not limit or otherwise restrict a remedy, provisional or otherwise, provided by law for the benefit of the department or a person covered by this section. (c) In order to implement this section, the department shall establish fees in an amount that shall not exceed the costs of administering the program and the collection and storage of these samples, which the department shall collect from researchers who have been approved by the department and who seek to use the following types of blood samples for research: (1) Umbilical cord blood. (2) Pregnancy blood collected by the Genetic Disease Screening Program, and stored by the Birth Defects Monitoring Program. (3) Newborn blood collected by the Genetic Disease Screening Program. (d) Fees collected pursuant to subdivision (c) shall be collected by the department and deposited into the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund, the Genetic Disease Testing Fund, created pursuant to Section 124996, or the Cord Blood Banking Fund, which is hereby created as a special fund in the State Treasury. The amount of fees deposited into each of these funds shall be based on the program that is providing those pregnancy blood samples, and the purpose for which the blood sample was obtained. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the moneys in the Birth Defects Monitoring Program Fund, the Genetic Disease Testing Fund, and the Cord Blood Banking Fund that are collected pursuant to subdivision (c), may be used by the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for the purposes specified in subdivision (e). (e) Moneys in those funds shall be used for the costs related to reporting, data management, including data linkage and entry, and blood collection, storage, retrieval, processing, inventory, and shipping. (f) The department shall comply with the existing requirements in the Birth Defects Monitoring Program, as set forth in Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 103825) of Part 2 of Division 102. (g) The department, any entities approved by the department, and researchers shall maintain the confidentiality of patient information and blood samples in accordance with existing law and in the same manner as other medical record information with patient identification that they possess, and shall use the information only for the following purposes: (1) Research to identify risk factors for children’s and women’s diseases. (2) Research to develop and evaluate screening tests. (3) Research to develop and evaluate prevention strategies. (4) Research to develop and evaluate treatments. (h) (1) For purposes of ensuring the security of a donor’s personal information, before any blood samples are released pursuant to this section for research purposes, the State Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) shall determine if all of the following criteria have been met: (A) The department, contractors, researchers, or other entities approved by the department have provided a plan sufficient to protect personal information from improper use and disclosures, including sufficient administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect personal information from reasonable anticipated threats to the security or confidentiality of the information. (B) The department, contractors, researchers, or other entities approved by the department have provided a sufficient plan to destroy or return all personal information as soon as it is no longer needed for the research activity, unless the program contractors, researchers, or other entities approved by the department have demonstrated an ongoing need for the personal information for the research activity and have provided a long-term plan sufficient to protect the confidentiality of that information. (C) The department, contractors, researchers, or other entities approved by the department have provided sufficient written assurances that the personal information will not be reused or disclosed to a person or entity, or used in a manner not approved in the research protocol, except as required by law or for authorized oversight of the research activity. (2) As part of its review and approval of the research activity for the purpose of protecting personal information held in agency databases, CPHS shall accomplish at least all of the following: (A) Determine whether the requested personal information is needed to conduct the research. (B) Permit access to personal information only if it is needed for the research activity. (C) Permit access only to the minimum personal information necessary for the research activity. (D) Require the assignment of unique subject codes that are not derived from personal information in lieu of social security numbers if the research can be conducted without social security numbers. (E) If feasible, and if cost, time, and technical expertise permit, require the agency to conduct a portion of the data processing for the researcher to minimize the release of personal information. (i) In addition to the fees described in subdivision (c), the department may bill a researcher for the costs associated with the department’s process of protecting personal information, including, but not limited to, the department’s costs for conducting a portion of the data processing for the researcher, removing personal information, encrypting or otherwise securing personal information, or assigning subject codes. (j) This section does not prohibit the department from using its existing authority to enter into written agreements to enable other institutional review boards to approve research activities, projects or classes of projects for the department, provided that the data security requirements set forth in this section are satisfied.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124995. Section 124995.

The following programs shall comply with the regulations established pursuant to the Hereditary Disorders Act, as defined in Section 27: (a) The California Children’s Services Program under Article 5 (commencing with Section 123800) of Chapter 3 of Part 2. (b) Prenatal testing programs for newborns under Sections 125050 to 125065, inclusive. (c) Medical testing programs for newborns under the Maternal and Child Health Program Act, as defined in Section 27. (d) Programs of the genetic disease unit under Section 125000. (e) Child health and disability prevention programs under Article 6 (commencing with Section 124025) of Chapter 3 of Part 2 and Section 120475. (f) Genetically Handicapped Persons Program under Article 1 (commencing with Section 125125) of Chapter 2. (g) Medi-Cal Benefits Program under Article 4 (commencing with Section 14131) of Chapter 7 of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 124996. Section 124996.

(a) The Genetic Disease Testing Fund is continued in existence as a special fund in the State Treasury. The department may charge a fee for any activities carried out pursuant to the Hereditary Disorders Act, including licensing activities conducted pursuant to Section 124980. All moneys collected by the department under the act shall be deposited in the Genetic Disease Testing Fund, that is continuously appropriated to the department to carry out the purposes of the act. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the program carried out pursuant to the act be fully supported from fees collected under the act. (c) The director shall adopt regulations establishing the amount of fees for activities carried out pursuant to the act. (d) The “Hereditary Disorders Act” or “act” referred to in this section is the act described in subdivision (b) of Section 27.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026