STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2044

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2024

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2024 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require that the diagnostic audiologic evaluation results of newborns who did not pass newborn hearing screening, or infants whose hearing status changes, are provided to the Department of Health in a timely manner.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Executive Office on Early Learning, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Early Childhood Action Strategy, Hawaii Children's Action Network Speaks!, and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Department of Health's Newborn Hearing Screening Program helps children who fail hearing screening to receive diagnostic testing and assists children who are deaf or hard of hearing to enroll in early intervention services to support their communication development.  Your Committee further finds that when a newborn does not pass hearing screening, the results are not required to be reported to the Newborn Hearing Screening Program.  In these cases, the program is unable to aid these newborns in a timely manner.  Requiring data reporting will allow the program to increase the percentage of deaf or hard of hearing infants to receive early intervention services and develop communication skills.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2024, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2024, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

 

 

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair