HB1679.html

To amend Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions related to health, so as to provide for the advisory committee on hearing in newborn infants to continue in existence until June 30, 2008; to provide for such committee to focus on studying resources for intervention and treatment of infants with hearing losses; to change certain provisions relating to the membership of such committee; to provide for automatic repeal; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.

Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions related to health, is amended by striking paragraphs (1), (2), and (5) of subsection (d) of Code Section 31-1-3.2, relating to hearing screenings for newborns, and inserting in their respective places the following:
"(d)(1) There is established an advisory committee on hearing in newborn infants for the purpose of studying and collecting the informational data specified in this Code section ~~and reporting such information to the General Assembly and Governor by December 1, 2001,~~ and for the purpose of providing recommendations to hospitals, physicians, and other health care institutions, the Department of Human Resources, and the public concerning, but not limited to, the following:
(A) Appropriate methodologies to be implemented for hearing screening of newborn infants, which methodologies shall be objective and physiologically based. An audiologist licensed pursuant to Chapter 44 of Title 43 shall perform such screening and a person not licensed as an audiologist may perform such screening provided such screening by the unlicensed person is performed pursuant to the exception in subsection (h) of Code Section 43-44-7;

(B) The number of births sufficient to qualify a hospital or health institution to arrange otherwise for hearing screenings; ~~and~~
(C) Guidelines for reporting and the means to assure that identified children received referral for appropriate follow-up services. The advisory committee on hearing in newborn infants shall present its findings and recommendations to the Board of Human Resources. Said board shall consider the findings and recommendations of such advisory committee in the adoption of rules and regulations for purposes of such screening; and
(D) Information about the availability of resources for intervention and treatment of newborn infants with hearing loss and strategies for augmenting such resources to assure that identified infants have access to appropriate follow-up services.
(2) The advisory committee on hearing in newborn infants shall consist of ~~at least 11~~ no more than 18 members who shall be appointed by the director of the Division of Public Health of the Department of Human Resources. Such advisory committee shall be a joint subcommittee of:
(A) The Maternal & Infant Health Council; and
(B) The State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention.
There shall be one member from each of these councils on the advisory committee. Members appointed to the committee shall have training, experience, or interest in the area of hearing conditions of children and shall include at least one audiologist, one pediatrician, one hospital administrator from a hospital which offers perinatal services, one deaf or hard of hearing adult, and one parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child. In addition, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint ~~one member~~ two members from the House of Representatives, and the ~~President of the~~ Senate Committee on Assignments shall appoint ~~one member~~ two members from the Senate to serve on the advisory committee."
"(5) This subsection is automatically repealed effective July 1, ~~2005~~ 2008."