BILL NUMBER: AB 2072	AMENDED
	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.