IIB
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1246
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 31, 2009
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
AN ACT
To amend the Public Health Service Act regarding early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Early Hearing Detection and
Intervention Act of 2009
.
Early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss
Section 399M of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g–1) is amended—
in the section
heading, by striking infants
and inserting
newborns and
infants
;
in subsection (a)—
in the matter
preceding paragraph (1), by striking screening, evaluation and
intervention programs and systems
and inserting screening,
evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention programs and systems, and to assist in
the recruitment, retention, education, and training of qualified personnel and
health care providers,
;
by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
To develop and monitor the efficacy of statewide programs and systems for hearing screening of newborns and infants; prompt evaluation and diagnosis of children referred from screening programs; and appropriate educational, audiological, and medical interventions for children identified with hearing loss. Early intervention includes referral to and delivery of information and services by schools and agencies, including community, consumer, and parent-based agencies and organizations and other programs mandated by part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which offer programs specifically designed to meet the unique language and communication needs of deaf and hard of hearing newborns, infants, toddlers, and children. Programs and systems under this paragraph shall establish and foster family-to-family support mechanisms that are critical in the first months after a child is identified with hearing loss.
; and
by adding at the end the following:
To develop efficient models to ensure that newborns and infants who are identified with a hearing loss through screening receive follow-up by a qualified health care provider. These models shall be evaluated for their effectiveness, and State agencies shall be encouraged to adopt models that effectively increase the rate of occurrence of such follow-up.
To ensure an adequate supply of qualified personnel to meet the screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and early intervention needs of children.
;
in subsection (b)—
in paragraph
(1)(A), by striking hearing loss screening, evaluation, and intervention
programs
and inserting hearing loss screening, evaluation,
diagnosis, and intervention programs
; and
in paragraph (2)—
by striking
for purposes of this section, continue
and insert the
following:
for purposes of this section—
continue
;
by
striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
by adding at the end the following:
establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention.
;
in paragraphs (2)
and (3) of subsection (c), by striking the term hearing screening,
evaluation and intervention programs
each place such term appears and
inserting hearing screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention
programs
;
in subsection (e)—
in paragraph (3),
by striking ensuring that families of the child
and all that
follows and inserting ensuring that families of the child are provided
comprehensive, consumer-oriented information about the full range of family
support, training, information services, and language and communication options
and are given the opportunity to consider and obtain the full range of such
appropriate services, educational and program placements, and other options for
their child from highly qualified providers.
; and
in paragraph (6),
by striking , after rescreening,
; and
in subsection (f)—
in paragraph (1),
by striking fiscal year 2002
and inserting fiscal years
2010 through 2015
;
in paragraph (2),
by striking fiscal year 2002
and inserting fiscal years
2010 through 2015
; and
in paragraph (3),
by striking fiscal year 2002
and inserting fiscal years
2010 through 2015
.
Passed the House of Representatives March 30, 2009.
Lorraine C. Miller,
Clerk