HB 2137
Initials AG/MT Page 1 Senate Engrossed
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-sixth Legislature
Second Regular Session
House: HHS DPA 9-0-0-1 | 3
rd
Read 57-0-2-0-1
Senate: HHS DPA/SE 5-0-2-0 | 3
rd
Read 30-0-0-0
HB 2137: infants; toddlers; developmental delays
NOW: developmental delays; infants; toddlers
Sponsor: Representative Willoughby, LD 13
Senate Engrossed
The House Engrossed version of HB 2137 requires intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) for
early intervention programs and services (AzEIP) for infants and toddlers with
developmental delays to include in the Initial Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
information to families on all intervention service options based on the assessed needs and
outcomes for the infant or toddler.
The Senate adopted a strike-everything amendment that does the following:
Overview
Requires IGAs that are developed and implemented by the Arizona Department of Economic
Security (DES) for AzEIP services to provide families with information on the identified
priorities, needs and outcomes for the infant or toddler and related services available,
including additional community resources that do not qualify for services under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act.
History
Laws 1990, Chapter 220 directs DES to serve as the lead agency for the coordination of a
system of AzEIP services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays.
Under current law, the Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers (Council)
must advise and assist DES in developing and implementing the statewide system and assist
in DES in achieving the full participation, coordination and cooperation of all appropriate
public agencies in Arizona. DES, the Arizona Department of Education, Arizona Department
of Health Services, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and Arizona State
Schools for the Deaf and the Blind must enter into one or more IGAs to develop and
implement a comprehensive, coordinated system of AzEIP services for infants and toddlers
with or at risk of developmental delays and their families in accordance with federal law. The
Council can assist in the development of the interagency agreements (A.R.S. § 41-2022).
Provisions
1. Requires IGAs that are developed and implemented by DES to require that at the initial
IFSP meeting and every subsequent review of the IFSP , DES provide families
information on the identified priorities, needs, and outcomes for the infant or toddler
including additional community resources that do not qualify for services under the IDEA
Act. (Sec. 1) HB 2137
Initials AG/MT Page 2 Senate Engrossed
2. Requires DES to develop a community resource guide that is available to families
electronically. (Sec. 1)
3. Requires DES, at the IFSP meeting, to show families how to access the electronic guide
and have print copies available by request to families who cannot access the electronic
guide. (Sec. 1)
4. Requires DES to develop a process for incorporating community resources in the
community resource guide that ensures that the listed resources are offered in Arizona
and to the targeted early intervention population. (Sec. 1)
5. Requires DES to keep the electronic guide updated, as necessary, with new resources.
(Sec. 1)
6. Requires the resource guide to include information on intervention service options that
may not be covered by the IDEA Act. (Sec. 1)
7. Requires the family to be informed if a service option is not covered, in whole or in part.
(Sec. 1)
8. Requires the resource guide to include:
a) information on therapy services including occupational therapy, physical therapy,
applied behavioral analysis and speech-language pathology; and
b) information for technology services and language acquisition resources including
hearing aids, cochlear or brainstem implants, bone-anchored hearing aids, other
assistive devices, American Sign Language, listening and spoken language, manually
coded English, cued speech and speech reading. (Sec. 1)
9. Enables a family, for an infant or toddler identified with hearing impairment, to choose
to engage an audiologist in the initial or subsequent IFSP meeting where the IFSP is
established or discussed to provide professional and clinical information. (Sec. 1)
10. Requires agencies that provide services and participate in the AzEIP system to have an
updated electronic copy of the early intervention program community resource guide
available to families. (Sec. 1)
11. Directs IGAs to have a process that allows, to the maximum extent appropriate, parents
to choose a natural environment for services in which infants and toddlers with
disabilities participate, including the home and community-based settings in which
children without disabilities participate. (Sec. 1)
12. Instructs DES to create a process where a family that has been referred to AzEIP can
request a different service coordinator for their early intervention services. (Sec. 1)
13. Makes a technical change. (Sec. 1)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note