Michigan House Bill HB5774

Michigan 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/26
• Refer: 3/19/26

Caption

Health: children; referral of certain children to the early on program; require. Amends 1978 PA 368 (MCL 333.1101 - 333.25211) by adding pt. 58B.

Summary

House Bill 5774 would amend Michigan’s Public Health Code to create a new part addressing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The bill defines FASD broadly to include a range of conditions associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, such as fetal alcohol syndrome, partial fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder, and related birth defects and neurobehavioral conditions. The core policy change is a referral requirement: if a health professional in charge of an infant’s care identifies the infant as having FASD, that professional must refer the infant’s parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis to Early On Michigan, the state’s early intervention program for young children. The bill also authorizes the department, in consultation with the department responsible for lifelong education and early childhood services, to adopt rules to implement the new part.

Impact

The bill would add a new Part 58B to the Public Health Code and create a statutory duty for certain health professionals to connect families of infants identified with FASD to Early On Michigan. Its effect is primarily procedural and referral-based rather than creating new treatment mandates or benefits, but it would formalize an early-intervention pathway for affected children and their caregivers. The bill could increase referrals into state early childhood services and may affect pediatric, neonatal, and other infant-care providers who identify FASD.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill is generally supportive and preventive in nature, with a focus on early identification and service connection for children affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes provided, there is no documented opposition or debate in the available record. The bill’s framing indicates a public health and child-development approach rather than a punitive one.

Contention

No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of discussion, based on the bill’s structure, could include whether the referral requirement should be mandatory, how FASD is identified in infants, and whether health professionals and families would have adequate access to Early On Michigan services. However, no actual objections, amendments, or opposing viewpoints are included in the record provided.