Florida Senate Unanimously Passes 'Mattie's Law' for Newborn Liver Screenings

The Florida Senate unanimously passed SB 1574, dubbed "Mattie's Law," requiring hospitals to screen newborns for biliary atresia — a potentially fatal liver condition — after an Orlando family's infant daughter suffered a liver transplant and lost fingers on her left hand when early test results were not acted upon.

Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis, an Ocoee Democrat, filed the bill and drew a standing ovation from the full Senate chamber when the Beacham family watched the final vote from the West Gallery. Every senator then joined as a co-sponsor. "We cannot change what happened to Mattie, but we can help ensure that the next child gets the chance she deserves," Bracy Davis said.

Biliary atresia occurs in roughly one out of every 12,000 births, according to Senate staff analysis. Without prompt treatment, the condition causes severe liver damage as blocked bile ducts prevent the liver from draining properly.

For Treasure Coast families, the bill would directly affect hospitals in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties by adding a biliary atresia threshold measurement to the standard bilirubin heel-stick test already performed on virtually every newborn in Florida. Michael Beacham, the child's father, told lawmakers the change requires "no additional heel stick, no additional cost" — only a measurement adjustment within an existing test available at every hospital and commercial laboratory in the state.

The path forward, however, is uncertain. The House companion bill, HB 1335, filed by Rep. Rachel Saunders Plakon, was never called for a committee vote this session, leaving its fate unclear. A Senate staff analysis estimated the screening expansion would cost the Department of Health nearly $3.9 million annually, a figure Michael Beacham disputes. He argues early detection would save tens of millions of dollars by preventing transplant surgeries. His daughter Mattie, now three years old, has already accumulated more than $7 million in medical bills.

The Beachams are also lobbying federal lawmakers. U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis said last year he is "committed to working alongside them to raise awareness of this condition and to help improve screening for newborns," according to Spectrum News 13.

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