I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2923
To establish programs regarding early detection, diagnosis, and interventions
for newborns and infants with hearing loss.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 7, 1997
Mr. WALSH (for himself, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. KING of New York, Mrs.
MALONEY of New York, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. FORBES, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr.
LAZIO of New York, and Mr. FOSSELLA) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To establish programs regarding early detection, diagnosis,
and interventions for newborns and infants with hearing
loss.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Early Hearing Loss
Detection, Diagnosis, and Intervention Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are to authorize statewide
early detection, diagnosis, referral, and intervention net-
works, technical assistance, a national applied research
program, and interagency and private sector collaboration
for policy development, in order to assist the States in
making progress toward the following goals:
(1) All babies born in hospitals in the United
States and its territories should be screened for
hearing loss before leaving the hospital (unless the
parents of the children object to the screening).
(2) Babies who are not born in hospitals should
be screened within the first 3 months of life.
(3) Diagnostic audiologic testing, if indicated,
should be performed in a timely manner to allow ap-
propriate referral for treatment/intervention before
the age of 6 months.
(4) All universal newborn hearing screening
programs should include a component which ensures
linkage to diagnosis and the community system of
early intervention services.
(5) Public policy in early hearing detection, di-
agnosis, and intervention should be based on applied
research and the recognition that infants, toddlers,
and children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing have
unique language, learning, and communication
needs, and should be the result of consultation with
pertinent public and private sectors.
SEC. 3. STATEWIDE EARLY DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS, AND
INTERVENTION NETWORKS.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this
Act referred to as the ‘‘Secretary’’), acting through the
Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Ad-
ministration, shall make awards of grants or cooperative
agreements to develop statewide early detection, diagnosis,
and intervention networks for the following purposes:
(1) To develop State capacity to support new-
born hearing loss detection, diagnosis, and interven-
tion.
(2) To monitor the extent to which hearing de-
tection is conducted in birthing hospitals throughout
the State, and assist in the development of universal
newborn hearing detection programs in birthing hos-
pitals and nonhospital birthing sites.
(3) To develop statewide models which ensure
effective screening, referral, and linkage with appro-
priate diagnostic, medical, and qualified early inter-
vention services, providers, and programs within the
community.
(4) To collect data on statewide early detection,
diagnosis, and intervention that can be used for ap-
plied research and policy development.
SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, DATA MANAGEMENT, AND
APPLIED RESEARCH.
(a) CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVEN-
TION.—The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall make
awards of grants or cooperative agreements to provide
technical assistance to State agencies to complement an
intramural program and to conduct applied research relat-
ed to infant hearing detection, diagnosis, and treatment/
intervention. The program shall carry out the following:
(1) Provide technical assistance on data collec-
tion and management.
(2) Develop standardized procedures for data
management to ensure quality monitoring of infant
hearing loss detection, diagnosis, and intervention
programs.
(3) Study the costs and effectiveness of hearing
detection conducted by State-based programs in
order to answer issues of importance to national and
State policymakers.
(4) Identify the causes and risk factors for con-
genital hearing loss that might lead to the develop-
ment of preventive interventions.
(5) Study the effectiveness of early hearing de-
tection, diagnosis, and treatment/intervention pro-
grams by assessing the health, developmental, cog-