[111th Congress Public Law 337]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]



[[Page 124 STAT. 3588]]

Public Law 111-337
111th Congress

                                 An Act


 
   To amend the Public Health Service Act regarding early detection, 
 diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss. <<NOTE: Dec. 22, 2010 -  [S. 
                                3199]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Early Hearing 
Detection and Intervention Act of 2010.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 42 USC 201 note.>> 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

[[Page 124 STAT. 3589]]

        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''.

    Approved December 22, 2010.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 3199 (H.R. 1246):
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSE REPORTS: No. 111-44 (Comm. on Energy and Commerce) accompanying 
H.R. 1246.
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 156 (2010):
            Dec. 7, considered and passed Senate.
            Dec. 15, considered and passed House.

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