Lois Capps: “I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1344, the Early Hearing Detection and…”

“I thank my colleague for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1344, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act, which I was so pleased to coauthor with my colleague from Kentucky, Congressman Brett Guthrie. Hearing loss in newborns is considered an invisible disability. Almost 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard of hearing, and even more children lose their hearing later on during childhood. When hearing loss is left undetected, it can impede speech, language, and cognitive development; but we know that, when hearing loss is caught early, children have much better outcomes. In fact, early intervention can help children overcome hearing issues and get them ready to learn on par with their peers. That is exactly what the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act does, pronounced ``Eddie.'' As it is commonly called, EHDI has helped families in all 50 States and the District of Columbia identify children in need of care early when interventions are most effective. By all accounts, this program has worked. Since the implementation of the EHDI program 15 years ago, we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of newborns who are being screened for hearing loss. Back in 2000, when we first set up the EHDI program, only 44 percent of newborns in the country were being screened for hearing loss. Now we are screening newborns at a rate of over 96 percent. This is a remarkable achievement, but our work is not done.…”