Legislative Update II

Since the last Legislative Update post, several key things have happened in the state legislature that will affect early intervention for children with hearing loss.
First, House Bill (HB) 1161, also known as the Infant Toddler Equity Act, unfortunately did not make it out of committee this session.
While that bill did not pass, there is another piece of legislation still active. HB 1879 would establish the Washington State Center for Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss to provide statewide leadership in the regional delivery of education services to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. There will be a report back to the legislature which will include recommendations for the establishment of 2 regional programs providing service in the full range of communication modalities (including oral communication).
On March 26th, L&T Executive Director Suzanne Quigley testified before the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education in support of the bill.
For more information about House Bill 1879, click here.
**Update** The bill has passed the Senate and is now in conference committee.