ACTION ALERT: Join GLAD to oppose Assembly Bill AB 2072 (www.opposeab2072.com). This law would replace deaf/hard of hearing consumer organizations with early education centers on the list of resources for parents and families of newborns identified with hearing loss. Assembly member Mendoza (D) of Norwalk introduced the bill called AB 2072. Please send letters to to the Health Committee stating that you oppose this bill.
ABOUT AB 2072: Existing law (the Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening, Tracking, and Intervention Act) requires every general acute care hospital with licensed perinatal services to offer every newborn a hearing screening test and provide written information on the availability of community resources and services for children with hearing loss to their parents.
The California Early Start Intervention Services Act (known as the Early Start program) provides various early intervention services for infants and toddlers who have disabilities to enhance their development and to minimize the potential for developmental delays.
This bill provides that the written information shall be on all communication options for children with hearing loss, and that the information shall be provided to parents when their newborn or infant fails the hearing screening, at a follow-up appointment to diagnose a hearing loss, and at entry into the Early Start program. It would also specify additional items of information to be provided pursuant to these requirements.
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2051-2100/ab_2072_bill_20100218_introduced.html
ACTION needed: We urge voters to send a letter to your local senator on the health committee to ask that they vote to oppose AB 2072. We encourage you to personalize the letter with your own experiences. To find address of your local senator and for a sample template letter, click the links below.
How You Can Take Action
Contact Your Legislative Representatives
• Senate Directory
Sample Letter
Dear Senator:
I am asking you to OPPOSE AB 2072 Hearing Screening: Resources and Services. Providing information to parents of newborns with a hearing loss is vital, but the bill as written is flawed. The bill neglects key components to insure that parents receive thorough and unbiased information.
The bill as written:
• Does not provide for any state accountability or oversight.
• The bill would bypass California’s Newborn Hearing Screening (CNHS) policies.
• Agencies paying for the printing of the material will be able to publish and distribute biased information under the guise of a governmental brochure.
• The bill does not provide for any approval process for included information. (It rubber stamps information supplied by for-profit business in the name of the State)
• “Other professionals” not clearly defined by bill.
• No procedure is provided for parents after they have received this information.
• The bill bypasses Section 124119.5. of the California Health and Safety Code:
Parents of all newborns and infants diagnosed with a hearing loss shall be provided written information on the availability of community resources and services for children with hearing loss, including those provided in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.), through the reporting and tracking system follow up procedures. Information shall include listings of local and statewide nonprofit deaf and hard-of-hearing consumer-based organizations, parent support organizations affiliated with deafness, and programs offered through the State Department of Social Services, Office of Deaf Access, State Department of Developmental Services, and the State Department of Education.
• The bill does not include that state agencies be provided in the information.
AB2072 as written is not an improvement but a step back in California’s legislation. It would allow special interest groups to publish information without oversight and distribute it as a CNHS material. There are laws currently in place that cover this exact area which have oversight and requirements. The state is currently required to provide all necessary information and has procedures in place to track, educate, and distribute information that information. There is no reason to introduce a new bill.
I encourage you to oppose AB2072.
Respectfully,
NAME
Here is the list of NINE SENATORS to contact:
Senator Elaine Alquist, Senate Health Committee Chair
Senate District 13
(Heart of Silicon Valley in Santa Clara County and includes the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara,Sunnyvale, Mountain View and Gilroy)
Capitol Office
(916) 651-4013
(916) 324-0283 (Fax)
State Capitol, Room 5080 Sacramento, CA 95814
San Jose Office
(408) 286-8318
100 Paseo de San Antonio #209
San Jose, CA 95113
Gilroy Office
(408) 847-6101
(408) 847-6096 (fax)
7800 Arroyo Circle Ste. A
Gilroy, CA 95020
http://dist13.casen.govoffice.com/
Senator Tony Strickland, Health Committee Asst. Chair
Senate District 19
(portions of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties)
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 4062
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4019
Fax: (916) 324-7544
Simi Valley Office
2655 First St., Suite 230
Simi Valley, CA 93065
Phone: (805) 306-8886
Fax: (805) 306-8899
Santa Barbara Office
610 Anacapa Street, Unit B-4
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Phone: (805) 965-0862
Fax: (805) 965-0701
http://cssrc.us/web/19/
Senator Samuel Aanestad
Senate District 04
( Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity and Yuba Counties. Senate District 4 includes the most northern coastline in the state and follows the California-Oregon state line, then moves down the central portion of Northern California to just north of the greater Sacramento area)
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 3063
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4004
Fax: (916) 445-7750
Nevada City Office
200 Providence Mine, #108
Nevada City, CA 95959
Phone: (530) 470-1846
http://cssrc.us/web/4/
Senator Gilbert Cedillo
Senate District 22
(part of Los Angeles County, including all of Alhambra,Maywood, San Marino, South Pasadena, Vernon, and Walnut Park, and parts of East Los Angeles, Florence-Graham, and Los Angeles)
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 5100
Sacramento, CA 95814
Los Angeles Office
617 South Olive Street
Suite 710
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 612-9566
http://dist22.casen.govoffice.com/
Senator David Cox
Senate District 01
(Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Plumas and Sierra Counties, as well as portions of Nevada, Placer and Sacramento Counties, including Lake Tahoe and the Plumas National Forest)
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 2068
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4001
Fax: (916) 324-2680
Roseville Office
2140 Professional Drive, #140
Roseville, CA 95661
Phone: (916) 783-8232
Fax: (916) 783-5487
Jackson Office
33C Broadway
Jackson, CA 95642
Phone: (209) 223-9140
Quincy Office
2094 E. Main Street
Quincy, CA 95971
Phone: (530) 283-3437
Fax: (530) 283-3439
http://cssrc.us/web/1/
Senator Mark Leno
Senate District 03
(San Francisco and San Rafael)
Capitol
(916) 651-4003
Fax: (916) 445-4722
State Capitol, Room 4061
Sacramento, CA 95814
San Rafael
(415) 479-6612
Fax: (415) 479-1146
Marin Civic Center
3501 Civic Center Drive Suite 425
San Rafael, CA 94903
San Francisco
(415) 557-1300
455 Golden Gate Avenue
Suite 14800
San Francisco, CA 94102
http://dist13.casen.govoffice.com/
Gloria Negrete McLeod
Senate District 32
(San Bernardino County and city of Pomona in Los Angeles county)
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 2059
Sacramento, CA
95814
Phone: (916) 651-4032
Fax: (916) 445-0128
Montclair Office
4959 Palo Verde Street, Suite 110B
Montclair, CA
91763
Phone: (909) 621-2783
Fax: (909) 621-7483
http://dist32.casen.govoffice.com/
Senator Fran Pavley
23rd District
(Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Westlake Village, as well as several communities in the City of Los Angeles, including Bel Air, Beverly-Fairfax, Beverly Glen Canyon, Brentwood, Canoga Park, Century City, Chatsworth, Encino, Hollywood, Mt. Olympus, Pacific Palisades, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Tarzana, Topanga, West Los Angeles, West Hills, Westwood and Woodland Hills)
Capitol Office
(916) 651-4023
Fax: (916) 324-4823
State Capitol, Room 4035
Sacramento, CA 95814
Santa Monica Office
(310) 314-5214
Fax: (310) 314-5263
2716 Ocean Park Blvd.
Suite 3088
Santa Monica, CA 90405
http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com
Gloria Romero
Senate District 24
(East Los Angeles– includes parts of the City of Los Angeles, including East Los Angeles, El Sereno, Lincoln Heights, City Terrace, Montecito Heights, and the Cities of Azusa, Baldwin Park, Covina, Duarte, El Monte, Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, Monterey Park, Rosemead, South San Gabriel, and West Covina. The district also includes the communities of Avocado Heights, Citrus, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Valinda and Vincent)
Office Locations
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 2090
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 651-4024
Fax: (916) 445-0485
Los Angeles Office
149 S. Mednik Ave
Suite 202
Los Angeles, CA 90022
Phone: (323) 881-0100
Fax: (323) 881-0101
http://dist23.casen.govoffice.com/
Mia Orr, Health Committee Consultant
Mia.Orr@sen.ca.gov
