I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2238 
To establish a grant program to provide comprehensive eye examinations 
and necessary follow up treatment to children, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2005 
Mr. PASCRELL (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. OWENS, Mr. MORAN 
of Virginia, Mr. KIND, Mr. REYES, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MEEKS of New 
York, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program to provide comprehensive eye 
examinations and necessary follow up treatment to chil-
dren, 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 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows:
(1) Good vision is essential for proper physical 
development and educational progress in growing 
children. 
(2) Many serious ocular conditions are treatable 
if identified in the preschool and early school-aged 
years. 
(3) Early detection of ocular conditions provides 
the best opportunity for effective, inexpensive treat-
ment and can have far reaching implications for vi-
sion. 
(4) Children should have access to eye examina-
tions as well as to subsequent treatment or services 
necessary to correct vision problems. 
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’’), acting through the Director of the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, may make grants to 
States on the basis of an established review process for 
the purpose of— 
(1) providing comprehensive eye examinations 
for children who have been identified by a method to 
be determined by the applicant State as needing
such services, with priority given to children who are 
under the age of 9; 
(2) providing subsequent treatment or services 
necessary to correct vision problems; and 
(3) developing and disseminating, to parents, 
teachers, and health care practitioners, educational 
materials on recognizing signs of visual impairment 
in children. 
(b) CRITERIA AND COORDINATION.— 
(1) CRITERIA.—The Secretary, in consultation 
with appropriate professional and consumer organi-
zations including individuals with knowledge of age 
appropriate vision services, shall develop criteria— 
(A) governing the operation of the grant 
program; and 
(B) for the collection of data related to vi-
sion assessment and the utilization of follow up 
services. 
(2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall, as 
appropriate, coordinate the program under sub-
section (a) with the program under section 330 of 
the Public Health Service Act (relating to health 
centers), the program under title XIX of the Social 
Security Act (relating to the Medicaid program), the 
program under title XXI of such Act (relating to the
State children’s health insurance program), and with 
other Federal or State program that provide services 
to children. 
(c) 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— 
(1) information on existing Federal, Federal- 
State, or State-funded children’s vision screening 
programs or comprehensive eye examinations; 
(2) a plan for the use of grant funds, including 
how funds will be used to complement existing State 
efforts; 
(3) a plan to determine if a grant eligible child 
has received an age appropriate vision screening or 
comprehensive eye examination; and 
(4) a description of how funds will be used to 
provide items or services only as a secondary payer 
to— 
(A) any State compensation program, 
under an insurance policy, or under any Fed-
eral or State health benefits program; or 
(B) by any 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 1 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, in-
cluding— 
(1) an assessment of the utilization of vision 
services and the status of children receiving these 
services as a result of the activities carried out 
under the grant; 
(2) the collection, analysis, and reporting of 
children’s vision data according to guidelines pre-
scribed by the Secretary; and 
(3) such other information as the Secretary 
may require. 
(e) LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES OF GRANT.—A 
grant may be made under subsection (a) only if the State 
involved agrees that the State will not expend more than 
20 percent of the grant for a fiscal year to carry out the 
purpose described in paragraph (3) of such subsection. 
(f) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘comprehensive eye examination’’ includes an assess-
ment of a patient’s history, general medical observation,