Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H5040: An Act relative to PANDAS/PANS screening in medical/clinical settings
Status: In committee, July 22, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, February 5, 2026:
SECTION 1. Section 17R of chapter 32A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “for”, in line 3, the following words:- screening and. SECTION 2. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 242 the following section:- Section 242A. (a) For all children, the department shall establish a program for screening of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections, hereinafter referred to as PANDAS and pediatric acute onset neuropsychiatric syndrome, hereinafter referred to as PANS, which shall adhere to the recommendations developed by a medical professional consortium convened by the department for the purposes of researching, identifying, and publishing best practice standards for diagnosis and treatment of such disorders or syndrome that are accessible for medical professionals and are based on evidence of positive patient outcomes. (b) The department shall develop a PANS working criteria to describe a clinically distinct presentation defined as follows: (i) abrupt, dramatic onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder or severely restricted food intake; (ii) concurrent presence of additional neuropsychiatric symptoms, with similarly severe and acute onset, from at least 2 of the following categories: (1) anxiety; (2) emotional lability or depression; (3) irritability, aggression or severely oppositional behaviors; (4) behavioral or developmental regression; (5) deterioration in school performance related …
Sponsors
- Services, Joint Committee on Financial (I) · primary sponsor
- James Eldridge (D, Middlesex and Worcester)
- Marcus Vaughn (R)
- Kathleen LaNatra (D, 12th Plymouth)
- Erika Uyterhoeven (D, 27th Middlesex)
- Samantha Montaño (D)
- Steven Owens (D, 29th Middlesex)
- Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D, 32nd Middlesex)
- Paul McMurtry (D, 11th Norfolk)
Latest actions
- : Committee recommended bill ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- : Reporting date extended to Thursday, December 31, 2026
- : Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing
- : New draft of H1249
- : Reported from the committee on Financial Services
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (July 16, 2026): 13 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Financial Services (January 23, 2026): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H5040?
- H5040 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act relative to PANDAS/PANS screening in medical/clinical settings.
- What is the status of H5040?
- In committee as of July 22, 2026. Latest action: Committee recommended bill ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (July 22, 2026).
- Who sponsored H5040?
- Services, Joint Committee on Financial (I), with 8 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H5040?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5040
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.