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 2006''.

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, infants, and young children'';
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in the heading, by striking ``Newborn and 
                Infant'' and inserting ``Newborn, Infant, and Young 
                Child'';
                    (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 
                striking ``newborn and infant hearing screening, 
                evaluation and intervention programs and systems'' and 
                inserting ``newborn, infant, and young child 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
                    (C) 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, 
        infants, and young children; 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, and young 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.'';
                    (D) in paragraph (2), by striking ``newborn and 
                infant'' and inserting ``newborn, infant, and young 
                child''; and
                    (E) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) To develop efficient models to ensure that newborns, 
        infants, and young children 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)--
                            (i) by striking the term ``newborn and 
                        infant'' each place such term appears and 
                        inserting ``newborn, infant, and young child''; 
                        and
                            (ii) in subparagraph (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, infant, and young child 
        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)--
                            (i) by striking ``newborn and infant'' and 
                        inserting ``newborn, infant, and young child'';
                            (ii) by striking ``newborns and infants'' 
                        and inserting ``newborns, infants, and young 
                        children''; and
                            (iii) by striking ``, after rescreening,''; 
                        and
            (6) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in the heading, by striking ``Newborn 
                        and Infant'' and inserting ``Newborn, Infant, 
                        and Young Child''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``fiscal year 2002'' and 
                        inserting ``fiscal years 2007 through 2012'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``fiscal year 
                2002'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2007 through 
                2012''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``fiscal year 
                2002'' and inserting ``fiscal years 2007 through 
                2012''.

Summary: Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program to: (1) provide services for young children (currently, limited to infants and newborns); and (2) include diagnostic services among 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, infants, and young children 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.