California Assembly Bill AB2072 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2072AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 13, 2010 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 5, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Mendoza FEBRUARY 18, 2010 An act to add Section 124121 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to public health. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2072, as amended, Mendoza. Hearing screening: resources and services. Existing law, the Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening, Tracking, and Intervention Act, requires every general acute care hospital with licensed perinatal services to offer every newborn a hearing screening test for the identification of hearing loss, as specified, and provide written information on the availability of community resources and services for children with hearing loss to the parents of those who are diagnosed with a hearing loss. Existing law, the California Early Start Intervention Services Act, commonly known as the Early Start program, provides various early intervention services for infants and toddlers who have disabilities to enhance their development and to minimize the potential for developmental delays. This bill would also require that parents of a newborn or infant diagnosed with a hearing loss  receive   be provided  written  or electronic  information on  all   specified  communication options for children with hearing loss by an audiologist or other related professional at a followup appointment after diagnosis with a hearing loss, and by the Early Start Program  when a child enters the program and when a child is referred to the program by a state agency   upon initial contact with the parents of a newborn or infant newly diagnosed with a hearing loss  . It would also specify that  neither  the state  nor an Early Start Program provider  shall  not  incur the cost of  or implement   implementing  this bill. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 124121 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 124121. (a) Parents of all newborns and infants diagnosed with a hearing loss shall also be provided written  or electronic  information on  all   American Sign Language (ASL), Total Communication, Cued Speech, and Listening and Spoken Language  communication options for children with hearing loss, including, but not limited to, information about deaf and hard-of-hearing organizations, agencies and early intervention centers, and educational programs. The information shall be provided: (1) By an audiologist or other related professional at a followup appointment after diagnosis with a hearing loss. (2) By the Early Start Program, provided for pursuant to the California Early Intervention Services Act (Title 14 (commencing with Section 95000) of the Government Code)  when a newborn and infant enters the program and when the newborn and infant is referred to the program by a state agency.   upon initial contact with the parents of a newborn or infant newly diagnosed with a hearing loss.  (b)  The state shall not incur any cost, nor shall the state be involved in   Neither   the state nor an Early Start Program provider shall incur any cost for  the implementation of this section.