110th Congress

Newborn Hearing Screening

H.R. 1198/S. 1069

Background

In October 2000, the President signed into law the Children’s Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310), which expands, intensifies, and coordinates research, prevention, and treatment activities for diseases and conditions that have a disproportionate or significant impact on children, including autism, diabetes, asthma, hearing loss, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries, infant mortality, lead poisoning, and oral health. Among its many provisions is the Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Regarding Hearing Loss in Infants title, which primarily authorized statewide newborn and infant hearing screening and intervention programs with the goal of ensuring that all babies born in hospitals in the United States and its territories have a hearing screening before leaving the birthing facility. The law included requirements for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue a program of research and development on the efficacy of new screening techniques and technologies, including clinical studies of screening methods, studies on the efficacy of intervention, and related research. NIH was also required to collaborate with the Health Resources and Services Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on recommendations for policy development at the Federal and State levels and with the private sector, with respect to newborn and infant hearing screening evaluation and intervention programs and systems. When this program began, there were pilot programs across the United States, but only 3 percent of the children born in the United States were tested. In 2008, approximately 93 percent of all newborns born in the United States are being tested.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

H.R. 1198, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2007, would reauthorize the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program, which was first enacted in 2000, to help States develop newborn hearing screening and early intervention programs. Among other provisions, the bill would amend the Public Health Service Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program. Of interest to NIH is a provision that would require the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention. It would also reauthorize NIDCD to continue a program of research and development on the efficacy of new screening techniques and technologies. The bill would authorize such sums as necessary for fiscal year 2008–2013 for both of these initiatives.

S. 1069, a companion bill to H.R. 1198, would also require the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of NIDCD, to establish a postdoctoral fellowship program to foster research and development in the area of early hearing detection and intervention.

Status and Outlook

H.R. 1198 was introduced by Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) on February 27, 2007, and was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. H.R. 1198 was passed by the House by a voice vote on April 8 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). No further action has occurred on this legislation.

S. 1069 was introduced by Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) on March 29, 2007, and was referred to the Senate HELP Committee. No further action has occurred on this legislation.

Neither of these bills was included in S. 3297, Advancing America’s Priorities Act, a bill that packaged together a number of small health, health research, and other bills in an effort to pass them before the close of the 110th Congress.

September 2008