107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5648
To establish a grant program to provide comprehensive eye examinations
to children, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OCTOBER 16, 2002
Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Ms. NORTON, and Mrs.
CHRISTENSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To establish a grant program to provide comprehensive eye
examinations to children, and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Children’s Vision Im-
provement and Learning Readiness Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Eighty percent of what children learn is ac-
quired through the visual processing of information.
(2) Visual impairment is one of the 10 most
common causes of disability in America. In children,
visual impairment is associated with developmental
delays and the need for special education, vocational,
and social services. At least 20 percent of children
with learning disabilities have been found to have
prominent visual information processing problems.
(3) It is estimated that more than 10,000,000
children (from birth to age 10) suffer from vision
problems, with one in 20 preschoolers and one in
four school aged children affected.
(4) It is estimated that only 14 percent of chil-
dren under the age of six receive a comprehensive
eye examination. Only one-third of all children have
had an eye examination or vision screening prior to
entering school.
SEC. 3. GRANTS REGARDING COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMI-
NATIONS FOR CHILDREN.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and
Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) may make grants to States for the purpose of—
(1) providing comprehensive eye examinations
for children, with priority given to school-based pro-
grams for children who are under the age of nine;
and
(2) developing and disseminating, to parents,
teachers, and the public, educational materials with
regard to the need and benefits of comprehensive eye
examinations for children.
(b) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall, as appro-
priate, coordinate the program under subsection (a) with
the program under section 330 of the Public Health Serv-
ice Act (relating to health centers), the program under
title XIX of the Social Security Act (relating to the Med-
icaid program), the program under title XXI of such Act
(relating to the State children’s health insurance pro-
gram), and with other Federal or State programs that
provide services to children.
(c) RELATIONSHIP TO PAYMENTS UNDER OTHER
PROGRAMS.—A grant may be made under subsection (a)
only if the State involved agrees that the State will not
make payments from the grant for any item or service to
the extent that payment has been made, or can reasonably
be expected to be made, with respect to such item or
service—
(1) under any State compensation program,
under an insurance policy, or under any Federal or
State health benefits program; or
(2) by an entity that provides health services on
a prepaid basis.
(d) EVALUATIONS.—A grant may be made under
subsection (a) only if the State involved agrees that, not
later than one year after the date on which amounts under
the grant are first received by the State, and annually
thereafter while receiving amounts under the grant, the
State will submit to the Secretary an evaluation of the
operations and activities carried out under the grant,
including—
(1) a description of the health status outcomes
of children provided with assistance under the grant;
(2) an assessment of the utilization of com-
prehensive eye examination services as a result of
the activities carried out under the grant;
(3) the collection, analysis, and reporting of
comprehensive eye examination data according to
guidelines prescribed by the Director of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention; and
(4) such other information as the Secretary
may require.
(e) APPLICATION.—A grant may be made under sub-
section (a) only if an application for the grant is submitted
to the Secretary and the application is in such form, is
made in such manner, and contains such information as
the Secretary may require, including a plan for the use
of the grant.