House Health Committee Chair Frankel hails House passage of bills to restrict Kratom, screen newborns for Gaucher disease
Rep. Dan B. Frankel October 5, 2026 | 4:16 PM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 5 – The state House today passed two crucial House Health Committee bills, which would get unsafe products off of Pennsylvania shelves and ensure that every baby born in the commonwealth is screened for a serious genetic condition.
Kratom Regulation
House Bill 2657, sponsored by Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna, would ban the most dangerous forms of kratom and set strict standards for natural kratom, so that it is not confused with other products and is not available to children.
“Kratom is wildly popular, highly addictive and unregulated,” Kosierowski said. “My legislation would put up necessary safeguards on natural kratom and prohibit the sale of the synthetic kratom to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvania consumers.”
The Drug Enforcement Agency recently scheduled some synthetic kratom compounds on a short-term emergency basis, but 7-OH, another dangerous compound, is still available. Some of these compounds are more addictive than morphine, yet easier to buy than cold medicine. These dangerous products can be purchased as a candy-flavored gummy, a soda or a honey stick.
The Department of Health reports that kratom was a contributing factor in dozens of Pennsylvania deaths over the last two years. Using kratom with other drugs significantly raises the risk of fatal overdose, and teens face a very high risk of dependence and addiction.
House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny, ushered this legislation through his panel last week, where it was approved unanimously.
“These products are marketed to look harmless, but the families who have seen the consequences know they are from it,” Frankel said.
Nineteen other states have passed legislation to regulate kratom.
"We’ve heard the kratom industry doesn’t love how tightly regulated its products are under this bill," Frankel said during House debate on Monday. "I'm fine with that."
Newborn Screening for Gaucher Disease
House Bill 1652, sponsored by Rep. Abigail Salisbury, D-Allegheny, would add Gaucher disease to the list of conditions tested for on Pennsylvania's newborn screening panel.
“We’re not calling on anyone to reinvent the wheel,” Salisbury said. “Until recently, Pennsylvania routinely screened newborns for Gaucher, and that gave parents a critical early window to start their child on care and treatment to alleviate symptoms. My bill would restore that protocol, so parents can get the vital information they need at a time when it can be most helpful.”
Gaucher is the most prevalent inherited genetic disorder among people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. A disease that disproportionately affects one population can be hard to diagnose, and diagnosis too often depends on someone thinking of looking for it. Experts who treat Gaucher say early identification can make a significant difference for families, and a newborn screen would give families and their doctors that information before symptoms appear.
Gaucher does not currently meet the criteria for inclusion under the process created by the state's 2020 newborn screening law, so legislation is needed to add it.
"This bill exists because of parents," Frankel said. "Families who have lived with this disease have fought for it, hoping to spare future families the struggles they went through."
Missouri, New Jersey, Tennessee, Oregon, New Mexico and Illinois have already added Gaucher to their newborn screening panels. House Bill 1652 would add Pennsylvania to that list.
House Bill 1652 passed 195-7, and H.B. 2657 passed 202-0. Both bills now go to the Senate.
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