Gus Bilirakis: “I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bipartisan bill to…”

“I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program. If this law were around when I was a newborn, we might have caught my hearing loss at a younger age. I don't want kids to go through what I have gone through. Representative Guthrie said it about his child. I had vision problems, too. We want to give these children an opportunity to succeed. That is why we are here in this Congress. That is why it makes it worthwhile to make a difference in a person's life. All they are asking for is an opportunity to succeed. So now as a user of hearing aids myself, I was proud to cosponsor the bipartisan bill, the House version introduced by my colleagues, Mr. Guthrie and Ms. Matsui. Studies have shown that important language development skills are learned prior to a child's third birthday, as hearing and language are closely linked. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 33 children are born every day with hearing impairment, making it the most common congenital condition in the United States. If left undiagnosed, a child can risk developmental challenges and setbacks. Since its inception in 1999, the Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention Program has improved the lives of numerous children.…”