[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8601-S8602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION ACT OF 2010

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we now proceed 
to Calendar No. 673.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:


[[Page S8602]]


       A bill (S. 3199) to amend the Public Health Service Act 
     regarding early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of 
     hearing loss.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause 
and insert in lieu thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Early Hearing Detection and 
     Intervention Act of 2010''.

     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 
     ``screening, evaluation and intervention programs and 
     systems'' and inserting ``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,'';
       (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, infants, toddlers, and 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.''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Other activities may include developing efficient 
     models to ensure that newborns and infants who are identified 
     with a hearing loss through screening receive follow-up by a 
     qualified health care provider, and State agencies shall be 
     encouraged to adopt models that effectively increase the rate 
     of occurrence of such follow-up.'';
       (3) in subsection (b)(1)(A), by striking ``hearing loss 
     screening, evaluation, and intervention programs'' and 
     inserting ``hearing loss screening, evaluation, diagnosis, 
     and intervention programs'';
       (4) in paragraphs (2) and (3) of subsection (c), by 
     striking the term ``hearing screening, evaluation and 
     intervention programs'' each place such term appears and 
     inserting ``hearing screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and 
     intervention programs'';
       (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 such appropriate 
     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 2011 through 2015'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``fiscal year 2002'' and 
     inserting ``fiscal years 2011 through 2015''; and
       (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``fiscal year 2002'' and 
     inserting ``fiscal years 2011 through 2015''.

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported 
substitute amendment be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a 
third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, 
with no intervening action or debate, and any statements related to the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 3199), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a 
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.

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