A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act regarding early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Early Hearing Detection and 
Intervention Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. EARLY DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT OF HEARING LOSS.

    Section 399M of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280g-1) is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``infants'' and 
        inserting ``newborns and infants'';
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``newborn and infant hearing screening, 
                evaluation and intervention programs and systems'' and 
                inserting ``newborn and infant hearing 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,''; and
                    (B) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) 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 and 
        infants. 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
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) To develop efficient models to ensure that newborns 
        and infants who are identified with a hearing loss through 
        screening are not lost to 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 reduce loss to follow-up.
            ``(4) To ensure an adequate supply of qualified personnel 
        to meet the screening, evaluation, and early intervention needs 
        of children.'';
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``hearing loss 
                screening, evaluation, and intervention programs'' and 
                inserting ``hearing loss screening, evaluation, 
                diagnosis, and intervention programs'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``for purposes of this 
                        section, continue'' and insert the following: 
                        ``for purposes of this section--
                    ``(A) continue'';
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) establish a postdoctoral fellowship program 
                to foster research and development in the area of early 
                hearing detection and intervention.'';
            (4) in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c), by 
        striking the term ``newborn and infant hearing screening, 
        evaluation and intervention programs'' each place such term 
        appears and inserting ``newborn and infant hearing screening, 
        evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention programs''; and
            (5) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) 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 early intervention services, 
                educational and program placements, and other options 
                for their child from highly qualified providers.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (6), by striking ``, after 
                rescreening,''; and
            (6) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``fiscal year 
                2002'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2008 through 
                2013'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``fiscal year 
                2002'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2008 through 
                2013''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``fiscal year 
                2002'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2008 through 
                2013''.

Summary: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program to include diagnostic services among the services provided. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to assist in the recruitment, retention, education, and training of qualified personnel and health care providers. Includes within the purposes of such program: (1) developing efficient models to ensure that newborns and infants who are identified with a hearing loss through screening are not lost to follow-up by a qualified health care provider. And (2) ensuring an adequate supply of qualified personnel to meet the screening, evaluation, and early intervention needs of children. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), acting through the Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, to establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention. Amends the definition of early intervention to require that families be given the opportunity to obtain the full range of early intervention services, educational and program placements, and other options for their child from highly qualified providers.