AUSTIN- Tuesday, State Representative Brooks Landgraf filed H.B. 2924, the Down Syndrome Parental Information Act. 

The bill will provide valuable medical and scientific-based information to expectant parents regarding Down syndrome, including information addressing physical, developmental, and educational outcomes, and all of the treatment options available to children with Down syndrome.

"Children bring countless blessings into our lives, and we need to ensure parents have access to all the information necessary to help give their children the most fulfilling lives possible," Landgraf said.

Under the new legislation, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) would be required to produce current, evidence-based information that has been reviewed by medical experts from local and national Down syndrome organizations. Medical providers would be required to distribute this information to expectant parents when a prenatal test indicates a probability of a Down syndrome diagnosis, or when their child is diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. 

"This is an issue very near and dear to my heart," Representative Landgraf said. "My aunt Phyllis was diagnosed with Down syndrome and she has brought an overwhelming amount of joy to my family over the course of her lifetime. It's important for parents to have information about all of the helpful resources available to them."

If the bill is passed and signed into law, the new information would be made available to parents beginning January 1, 2016. 

Representative Brooks Landgraf was elected in 2014 to serve House District 81, which encompasses Andrews, Ector, Ward, and Winkler Counties. Landgraf resides in Odessa with his wife Shelby and works as an attorney and rancher. He also serves on the Midland-Odessa Transportation Alliance Board of Directors, the Education Foundation Board of Directors, and the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute Advisory Council.