THIS IS AN HISTORIC DAY IN NORTH CAROLINA! Yesterday, the North Carolina Legislature passed House Bill 589 which mandates insurance coverage for hearing aids for anyone under the age of 22 years of age. THANK YOU to the many women, men, and children who have worked tirelessly and endlessly for years to bring this about! The bill is on its way to Gov. Perdue's desk for signature!! H589 - www.ncga.state.nc.us North Carolina Senate unanimously passed HA589 -- Health Benefit Coverage of Children's Hearing Aids  A note from Dr. Joni Alberg, Executive Director, BEGINNINGS
Now, we can celebrate!! The bill unanimously passed the Senate today. The next stop will be Governor Perdue who will sign the bill into law. The effective date for this legislation will be January 1, 2011.
Collin, Arthur and Tracy Tastet were present for this historic vote. Collin was recognized by Lieutenant Governor Walter Dalton for his tireless lobbying for the passage of this bill. Check out News 14 Carolina on TV or the web to see their interview of Collin and Arthur following the Senate vote.
Thank you all for your persistence and support to make it a reality for insurance plans in NC to cover the cost of hearing aids for children under the age of 22 years!!! Woo hoo!!!!
Joni
------------------------------------------------------------------- Joni Alberg, Ph.D. Executive Director BEGINNINGS For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Inc.
"Educating and Supporting to Empower Parents!"
P.O. Box 17646, Raleigh, NC 27619 (919)850-2746 V/TTY (919)850-2804 Fax (800) 556-2796 V/TTY (NC Only)
(Last Updated: 5/29/10) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Click here to view House Bill 589 Information/History directly from North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Click here to view Senate Bill 375 Information/History directly from North Carolina General Assembly web site. (This was the initial Senate version of H589 which never made it out of Committee for the 2009 General Assembly session.)
Update as of 5/20/2010 H589 is on the House agenda when they meet at 1:00 today, May 20. If you are able to attend the House session to witness the vote, please do. If you can not you can listen to the audio broadcast. (see link below) Also, please contact your Representative and thank them for their past support of H589 and ask them to please help support the bill again today when it goes to the House floor for a vote today. If it passes the House it will still need to be voted on by the Senate and hopefully that will happen next week. Then, it will be on to Governor Perdue for signing! Update as of 5/19/2010
On May 12th, the House did refer H589 back to Conference Committee. As of today we have received word, the Bill was revised and returned to its original language (removal of the Autism section). All conferees have signed the conference committee report. It will now go back to the floor of the Senate and House for a vote. As soon as it gets placed on the agenda we get the word out.
Please remember to contact your Senator and Representative to support H589!!! Update as of 5/11/2010
Tomorrow, May 12, at noon the NC General Assembly convenes the 2010 Session. The first item on the House agenda is H589—Insurance Coverage of Children’s Hearing Aids. If you remember, when the 2009 Session ended, the Joint Senate/House Conference Committee had met and the additional language to include individuals with autism was left in place. The House, instead of addressing the bill (which they could not support) postponed discussion until May 12.
What we have been told will happen is the Conference Report will be presented, the House will send it back to the Conference Committee, and the Conferees will address the autism language in the bill.
Update as of 8/11/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
In my last email I shared something I learned early on regarding lobbying---never give up until legislation has been passed and signed into law. Another lesson I learned (but did not follow) was never assume anything is a “done deal” until it has officially passed all stages of the legislature.
Yesterday at 4:30 I learned our bill would not be moved forward this session. It is on the calendar for May 12, 2010. This was devastating news not only to me but to the legislators who have worked so hard to pass this bill. The reason it was stopped should come as no surprise since the attachment of the autism piece last week raised many concerns and added exorbitant costs to the State Health Plan. The reasons for this addition are beyond my understanding and were beyond my ability to remove it. And I am very sorry
I will tell you Representatives England, Glazier and Wiley were furious and they made their feelings known to the leadership. Nonetheless, we will be able to sort it all out in May when the legislature reconvenes. In the meantime, we will ask everyone to continue to talk with legislators and to keep our message in the forefront. I will continue to work with legislators in the interim and will let you know how you can help.
Update as of 8/9/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
During the week just ended there was a flurry of activity related to our hearing aid bill. The good news is we are now one vote away from passing the law that will require insurance coverage of hearing aids for children under the age of 22!
Where we are.
On Tuesday, an agreement was reached between Senator Purcell (bill sponsor) and Senator Garrou (Chair Senate Appropriations) to place H589 on the Senate Appropriations calendar for Wednesday IF she could attach language to our bill related to coverage of services for children with autism. Senator Purcell agreed (he believed—as do I—this was the only way the bill would have moved forward. Tuesday night he and I saw the language and knew the addition might cause our bill to crash and burn. However, we developed a strategy and moved forward. The substitute bill moved unanimously through the Appropriations Committee and proceeded to the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon where it also passed unanimously. The House heard the bill Thursday night and did not agree to it. This vote sent the bill to conference committee. On Friday morning the House and Senate agreed to a compromise, the Senate unanimously passed the compromise and the House will pass it tomorrow night. Update as of 8/8/09
Here is the latest posted information on the General Assembly web site about Bill H589.
Click here to view the Conference Committee Report.
Click here to view latest version of H589 bill.
Update as of 8/7/09 - GREAT NEWS!!!!!
The Conference Committee submitted a report back to both the House and Senate today, Friday August 7th. The Senate voted 36 to 0 to adopt the Conference Committee report. The House is scheduled to hear the Conference Committee report on Monday, August 10th at 7PM in the House Chamber. Public can watch from the House gallery or can listen over the internet.
If the House votes to adopt the Conference Committee report. The next step will be the governor!
If the House does not adopt the report, we will have to wait until they go back in session in May 2010.
Regarding what was changed on the bill:
The Autism section "the rider" on the bill appears to be what was modified on the bill according to what I heard Senator Purcell say over the internet. We have not been able to validate what was actually changed, since they have not posted the new version of the bill on the General Assembly web site.
Look for a more detailed update to come out later........
Update as of 8/6/09
Update #2 House voted Thursday night not to concur to the Senate changes and moved to setup a special committee. More details to come later. Update #1 The Senate passed H589 bill today with the Autism amendment "rider" with a vote of 45 to 0! The bill will now be sent back to the House for concurrence. We expect we might see it on the House Floor agenda as earlier as Monday, but things can change at a moments notice. Look for a more detailed update later by Joni Alberg. In the meantime, please contact your House Representative and ask them to support the H589 bill version that has been sent back from the Senate. Remind the Representatives that the hearing aid section of the legislation can ultimately save our community significant dollars. The average educational cost for a child with hearing loss who is not provided the necessary intervention, including hearing technology, is estimated to require special education services costing $417,000 to $500,000 during their educational years. After leaving the educational setting it is estimated an additional $500,000 in public support will be required.
Click here to view latest version of H589 bill. Update as of 8/5/2009
URGENT ACTION NEEDED By Parents and Professionals Please call your Senator ask them to please support the Hearing Aid Bill (H589) which is now on the Senate Floor Agenda and do not let the bill fail due to the recent Autism Amendment added during the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. If necessary, please remove the Autism Amendment rider from the bill. This action is needed ASAP. The Senate convenes at 11:00 AM on Thurday, August 6, 2009 and H589 bill is on the agenda. Click here for Senator contact information. Quick Update (Joni Alberg will provide more detailed update later):
The Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget gave a favorable report on H589 bill, but added an amendment related to Autism and Insurance. (Otherwise known as adding a "rider" to the bill.) During the Senate Committee meeting there was a question to how much cost the Autism piece added to the bill. No one was able to answer this question. It appears some Representatives and Senators have some concerns about the Autism piece being added to the bill. Click here to view the new bill version.
It was added to the Senate Chamber agenda for Wednesday August 5th session. During the Senate session a motion was made to move it to Thursday August 6th 11:00 am Senate Chamber agenda. Update as of 8/4/2009
GREAT NEWS!!!!: We just received notice that the Senate Committee on Appropriations/Base Budget will address the health benefit plan coverage for children's hearing aids (S375) on Wednesday (tomorrow), August 5, 9:00 a.m. in Room 643 Legislative Office Building. Our bill is the second item on the agenda. This is the BIG Appropriations Committee that all Senators will attend.
All Committee meetings of the General Assembly are open to the public. Please come and support this bill. The public may not, however, be invited to speak. It depends on the Chair. If the Chair decides a bill may be controversial he/she may invite comment both pro and con. Joni Alberg is looking to have 3 or 4 children speak, if the chair will allow it. If you have or know of a child who uses hearing aids and are available Wednesday (tomorrow) morning to attend the Committee meeting, PLEASE contact Joni Alberg (jalberg@ncbegin.org). This has been very effective in each committee meeting. If the bill passes this Appropriations Committee Meeting the next step will be the Senate Floor.
Even if we are not invited to speak, you may want to watch legislators in action!
The Legislative Office Building (LOB) is located on the corner of Salisbury and Lane Streets in Raleigh. The following link will provide you directions and a map of downtown Raleigh.
Update as of 8/4/2009
News Wire is reporting Senate Leader Basnight told committee chairs to wrap up their work by Friday and he will push for the General Assembly to adjourn Friday or Saturday!!
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!
The Senate must act on the Hearing Aid bill (H589 - Passed in House 117 to 0) before the General Assembly adjourns or the bill will die! If that happens the whole process will have to start all over in another session.
Though short, we still have time to get the Hearing Aid bill passed, but we need your help!!
Remind the Senators that this legislation can ultimately save our community significant dollars. The average educational cost for a child with hearing loss who is not provided the necessary intervention, including hearing technology, is estimated to require special education services costing $417,000 to $500,000 during their educational years. After leaving the educational setting it is estimated an additional $500,000 in public support will be required.
What you can do?
- We are in need of parents (and professionals) from the following areas to contact their Senators about the importance of passing H589 bill:
- Contact your own Senator and ask them to do what they can do to move the legislation through the Senate. (If you sent an email over a month ago, follow-up with them.)
- Contact Senators Garrou (Forsyth Co.), Swindell (Nash & Wilson Cos.). Albertson (Duplin, Lenoir, and Sampson Cos.) and Dannelly (Mecklenburg Co.) and ask them to please move H589 through the Senate Appropriations Committee.
(Need help to get you started with a letter? Click here for template letters. Look for "SenateLetterToHelpMoveTemplate.doc")
Update as of 7/30/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
It appears the legislature is winding down and there is “talk” a budget will be passed next week. Keep in mind this has been said before and then did not happen. If the budget is passed, they may adjourn the following week. Though short, there is still time for the Hearing Aid bill to be passed.
Today I spoke with the leadership in the Senate to again plea for the bill to be heard. There were some positive responses from people who can make things happen and I remain hopeful the bill will move through the Senate next week.
I appreciate all of you who have contacted your Senators, especially those living in Senator Rand’s and Senator Garrou’s districts. Additionally, if you live in or know Senator Basnight please contact him and tell him how important H589 is to you and why it needs to pass.
We now have many friends in the NC House and Senate who care about children with hearing loss and their families. We must continue to nurture these relationships throughout this year and the years to come.
Until next week…… Update as of 7/29/2009 Time is starting to become a factor! ! The Senate must act on the bill before the General Assembly adjourns or the bills will die! If that happens the whole process will have to start all over in another session.
What you can do?
- We are in need of parents from Fayetteville community to contact Senator Rand and parents from Forsyth county to contact Senator Garrou about the importance of passing this bill.
- Write/call your own Senator and ask them to do what they can do to move the legislation through the Senate.
- Write/call Senators Garrou (Forsyth Co.), Swindell (Nash & Wilson Cos.). Albertson (Duplin, Lenoir, and Sampson Cos.) and Dannelly (Mecklenburg Co.) and ask them to please move H589 through the Senate Appropriations Committee.
(Need help to get you started with a letter? Click here for template letters. Look for "SenateLetterToHelpMoveTemplate.doc") Update as of 7/22/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
This afternoon, the House passed H589 with a vote of 117 to 0!! This is truly amazing and I am very happy with this vote. The bill will now cross over to the Senate. I spoke with Senate leadership today and tomorrow we will know which Senate Committee to which the Committee will be referred. The legislature may finish their work in the next two weeks. I will let you know as soon as the Senate decides how the bill will proceed. This has been a wonderful day!!!
(Want to hear the actual audio from the House Floor Vote? Click here look for "GeneralAssemblyH589_07-22-2009.mp3") Update as of 7/21/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
I just learned that H589 is scheduled for the House calendar on Wednesday, July 22. The House will convene at 2:00 p.m. The House calendar will be available on-line (http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/) and it will tell if both the 2nd and 3rd reading will occur tomorrow or if the bill will have its 3rd reading Thursday. As soon as I know this I will send another update.
If you want to see the bill addressed you may sit in the House galley. Keep in mind there are many other items on the agenda and we won’t know exactly when this bill will be addressed. You also may listen to the House deliberations through your computer by clicking on this link at 2:00 p.m. http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/Audio/StreamAudio.pl?stream=house Update as of 7/14/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing) The House agenda for Monday, July 20 just came out and H589 is NOT on it. I still believe the bill will be on one of next week’s agendas and will let you know as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, keep contacting you legislators! Update as of 7/14/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
This morning, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health & Human Services met to here 2 bills—one of which was H589—Health Benefit Plan Coverage for Children’s Hearing Aids. Rep. Laura Wiley, one of the bill’s Primary Sponsors, introduced the bill and then introduced Collin Tastet and Rachel Skergan to speak to the Subcommittee. The Subcommittee then voted unanimously (as have all the other committees!!) to send it back to the floor of the House with a favorable report (i.e., recommendation of passage). The bill will next appear on the agenda of the House Calendar for Monday, July 20 which will convene at 7:00 p.m. Monday evening will be the 2nd reading of the bill and the 3rd and final reading will occur in the afternoon session of the House on Tuesday, July 21. The bill will then be referred to the Senate for concurrence. The Senate may (1) send it to their Appropriations Committee followed by a recommendation to the full Senate or (2) send it to both the Appropriations Committee and another committee before hearing it on the Senate floor. We likely will find out the plan for the Senate next Wednesday, July 22.
Thank you to Arthur and Collin T.; Natalie, Sarah, Rachel and Sofie S.; and Wendy K. for attending today’s meeting! Thank you to Rep. Laura Wiley (Rep.—Guilford Co.) who has been a champion for our bill.
What you can do?
- Send “thank you” notes to the members of the House Health & Human Services Subcommittee members for their support of H589.
- Contact your Representative and ask them to please support H589 which will be on the House agenda Monday and Tuesday.
- Write/call Senators Garrou (Forsyth Co.), Swindell (Nash & Wilson Cos.). Albertson (Duplin, Lenoir, and Sampson Cos.) and Dannelly (Mecklenburg Co.) and ask them to please move H589 through the Senate Appropriations Committee when the bill comes over from the House next week.
I plan to be in the House galley Monday night to listen to any deliberations that may arise concerning the bill. I expect, and the Representatives I have spoken with today, believe there will be very little opposition, if any. We have so many members supporting this bill that I think they will be able to win any opposition over the “pro” side. However, I have learned never to take anything fore granted when it comes to legislation so I will be there just in case!! Rep. Laura Wiley plans to ask the Republican House members to support the bill when they meet in Caucus prior to the House Session Monday night.
If you want to be there for this exciting event, I recommend you attend Tuesday’s House Session which likely will begin at 3:00 p.m. Please let me know if you have ANY questions!
We are making progress!!
Update as of 7/15/2009
We have received a notice for the agenda for tomorrow's Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services meeting. It is scheduled for Thursday, July 16 at 8:30am in Room 643 LOB. The Hearing Aid Bill (H589) is the first item on the agenda.
For those of you that are not able to make the subcommittee meeting, but are interested in hearing it live. It looks like an audio feed will be available for this meeting. Click here to legislative audio web site page. Then select "Appropriations Committee Room (Rm 643).
Update as of 7/14/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
Finally, I have news to share. The Hearing Aid Bill (H589) is scheduled to be heard on Thursday, July 16 at 8:30 a.m. by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Thanks to House Speaker Hackney’s Senior Policy Advisor, Laura DeVivo, and the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Mickey Michaux, H589 has been forwarded to the HHS Subcommittee for action and will not have to go to the Full Appropriations Committee. From the Subcommittee it will be referred back to the floor of the House for passage and it will not have to go through the same process in the Senate.
Representative Beverly Earle will Chair the Subcommittee meeting Thursday and I have requested time for 2-3 children to address the Subcommittee. Though I have not heard from Rep. Earle, I expect this will be permitted. Please let me know if you and your child are available Thursday morning! PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, the meeting day and time are subject to change (though I do not expect this to happen.)
As for the State budget, the House and Senate leadership continue to meet to try to agree on a revenue package. My understanding is the spending package has been agreed to, though the final document has not been made public. I continue to remain confident that BEGINNINGS will be fully funded for the next 2 years; the initial hearing aid program for children under 3 years will be funded; and CASTLE will receive funding from a Federal Block Grant through the Division of Child Development, Dept. of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, it does not appear Project EAR will receive funding this year. However, I have spoken with Rep. Marion McLawhorn who introduced the bill to fund Project EAR and she and I have agreed to work together next year to secure future funding for Project EAR.
On another topic, BEGINNINGS experienced 17% growth in the number of families served during FY09 over FY08! A total of 747 families received services. Services included 383 home visits, parent support at 93 IEP meetings and 58 Transition IEP meetings, and distribution of 300 BEGINNINGS’ Parent Manuals (English and Spanish) to parents statewide. I also am happy to report that of the families with newly identified children served by BEGINNINGS, 62% of the children were identified prior to their 1st birthday! This is up from 54% in FY08. Update as of 6/24/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
It was brought to my attention that I had not included BEGINNINGS status in my last update!! I am very pleased to tell you our funding has continued to remain at the current level for the coming biennium. I do not expect this to change though, as always, I will rest much easier when a budget is passed!
Speaking of the budget….
The HHS Conference Committee has been meeting this week behind closed doors (i.e., the public is not invited to attend). Yesterday afternoon they provided an update of their work toward a final budget. The “initial hearing aid program” was not mentioned as it has already been decided this will be funded. The Committee is still working on the “Money Report” which is the line-item portion of the budget. The “Special Provisions” had not been addressed as of yesterday evening (this is where the funds for CASTLE will be decided). To give you an idea of some of the cuts under consideration:
- Smart Start budget (currently $209,000,000) reduction of $16,000,000
- Health Choice (insurance for children) increased to accommodate coverage of a 6% increase in number of children eligible—a total of $17,850,450.
- Discontinue CARE-LINE 24/7/365 Operation. A reduction of $128,502
- Reduce the Healthy Carolinians Program from $995,529 to $506,223
In order to maintain funding for more programs, the legislature and Governor are considering tax increases. Please contact your legislators and let them know if you support a tax increase and why. For example, you support an increase because important programs like CASTLE need to be funded.
Additionally, please contact the following legislators and ask them to please convene the Appropriations Committees so S375 and H589 can move forward!! The list below includes the Chairs of each of the House and Senate Committees. Click on their names to get contact information.
House Appropriations
Senior Chairman Rep. Michaux Chairman Rep. Adams Chairman Rep. M. Alexander Chairman Rep. Crawford Chairman Rep. Haire Chairman Rep. Jeffus Chairman Rep. Tolson Chairman Rep. Yongue Senate Appropriations Update as of 6/22/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
Last week at the General Assembly, Conference Committees were appointed to work out differences between the House and Senate Budgets. Although the process is not yet complete, there are two pieces of good news to report!
Initial Infant Hearing Aids
The Senate agreed with the House position to fully fund this program at $171,000 annually. This is recurring money. CASTLE
Rep. Verla Insko introduced an amendment to the House budget prior to its passage on the House floor Jue13th to include funding for CASTLE ($575,000) with money from a Block Grant program in the Division of Child Development. The amendment passed. Now, the Conference Committee must agree to fund it. The funds for CASTLE are proposed in a Special Provision to the budget. A Special Provision specifies how certain monies within the budget are to be spent. The Conference Committee has not yet discussed Special Provisions. Progress Toward Budget Completion
The HHS Conference Committee began meeting last week as follows: Wednesday 8:00 – 11:00 p.m.; Thursday off and on all day until recessing at 10:15 p.m.; and Friday 9:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. They were expected to meet into the evening Friday and over the weekend but that did not happen. Nor have they resumed meetings today. There is speculation (a.k.a. “rumor”) that the leadership is planning to introduce a Continuing Resolution that would keep government operating after June 30 even though no budget has been passed. This is what has typically happened in previous budget years. As soon as I know something I will let you know. In the meantime, continue to contact your Senators and Representatives and ask them to support S375.H589 and to request the bills be heard by the Full Appropriations Committees (one each in the House and Senate.)
Update as of 6/11/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
This has been an incredible week at the General Assembly. Thanks to all of you who have contacted your Senators and Representatives to tell them how important issues related to children with hearing loss and their families are to you, I have several successes to report.
Initial Hearing Aids for Children Under 3 Years As you know, the Senate budget eliminated this program but attached a cost of only $30,000 to it. The House Subcommittee on HHS proposed the same deduction—until last Thursday when the Subcommittee proposed to eliminate the program at the full cost of $171,000. Yesterday, the Subcommittee restored this item with the appropriation of $171,000. This is significant because (1) the difference between the House and Senate budgets means it must go to Conference Committee and a compromise must be reached; (2) the program is now a recurring line item in the State budget (this had not been the case until now!!); and (3) the Senate HHS Subcommittee recognized the need to maintain the program and the Co-Chairs of the Senate Subcommittee told me today they will support the House recommendation!! Funds for BEGINNINGS The Senate budget contained full recurring funding for BEGINNINGS. As of yesterday afternoon, the House budget also contains full recurring funding for BEGINNINGS! Typically, this means the chances of the final State budget containing full recurring funding for BEGINNINGS are very good. However, I also know that until the final budget is passed, there is a chance these funds could be reduced. I am therefore cautiously optimistic BEGINNINGS will be able to continue providing the same level of service to parents across North Carolina as have come to be expected. Insurance Coverage for Children’s Hearing Aids The House and Senate bills have successfully passed through 3 committees and are now waiting to be heard by the House and/or Senate Appropriations Committee. It does not have to be heard by both Appropriations Committees, but must be heard by one of them. Once the bill is approved by an Appropriations Committee it will go to the floor of the House or Senate for final passage. I have been told by staff in Senator Tony Rand’s office the bill will move forward before this session of the General Assembly adjourns AND it is expected to pass. With the attention currently on the House budget, it may be a few weeks before the Appropriations Committees meet. I will be closely following the activity of the bill. We Did It!! These outcomes would not have been realized without your efforts. Those of you who have had face-to-face meetings with your legislators know how important it was for them to meet you and hear your story. Those who wrote letters and emails demonstrated explained to legislators that issues surrounding children with hearing loss and their families are important to many citizens across North Carolina. The successes we have had are not the result of any one person but rather the collective efforts of many. I thank you all for making my lobbying efforts so much easier. Each time I spoke to a legislator, I knew all of you were behind me just like the support team seen on Verizon wireless commercials! You have made an incredible difference!! NEXT STEPS Please call or write the legislators you have contacted and THANK THEM for their support of the initial hearing aid program and BEGINNINGS funds. This is very important! Although they hear from lots of people about what is not liked, they rarely hear from citizens thanking them when they have listened and acted accordingly. This morning, I visited some of our most important supporters to personally thank them including Representatives England, Wiley, Dollar, Crawford, and Insko and Senators D. Berger and Purcell. I will be writing personal notes to each of them and others over the next few days. I will continue to keep you updated as this legislative session continues. Update as of 6/5/2009 - (From Joni Alberg, Ph.D., Executive Director for Beginnings For Parents of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing)
What a week this has been! I spent three very long days at the General Assembly and they were very worthwhile (if tiring!!)
As you know, H589 was heard by the House Insurance Committee Tuesday morning and unanimously received a favorable report sending it on to the House Appropriations Committee. I have spoken with staff in the Senate leadership offices as to when S375 might be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee. They will alert me as soon as it is scheduled. Although the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, June 10, the agenda for the meeting does not include our bill. I will keep you posted. One more word on our bill, I was informed the State Health Plan Director is supporting the inclusion of health benefits for children’s hearing aids and has said the State Health Plan will be able to afford it!!
Late Tuesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to meet with Rep. Nelson Dollar (Wake Co.) at the invitation of Ramnik and Neel Kamo along with Jack Roush. This was an excellent meeting (and delightful as we heard Neel play his violin for Rep. Dollar!) and has already resulted in active support for children’s hearing loss issues by Rep. Dollar!! This shows how you really can make a difference!
Yesterday afternoon, the Health and Human Services budget was presented to the full committee for a final review and vote. The meeting was very long and the room was filled with citizens concerned about all aspects of human services. The end result was the budget was not voted up or down but was referred “without prejudice “ to the Full Appropriations Committee. This means the Subcommittee did not vote to approve or disapprove because the Subcommittee Chairs did not believe they had enough votes to approve the budget. This was the result of most, if not all, other House Appropriations Subcommittees.
What is in the budget? The budget contains the $229,151 cut to BEGINNINGS, as noted previously. Since the Senate did not propose a cut, the BEGINNINGS’ budget must be discussed in House/Senate conference committee. The initial hearing aids for children under 3 years, which was eliminated in the Senate budget was also proposed by the House to be eliminated BUT a dollar amount different from the Senate budget was given. THIS IS GOOD NEWS because the program must now be discussed in Conference committee! When this item was presented in the HHS Subcommittee, Rep. Nelson Dollar spoke against this cut. I thanked him later for his show of support. What I think will happen to this program, (1) money will be appropriated to it though less than the $171,00 amount that was allotted to the program and (2) the program will now be a line item in the state budget which makes it much more difficult to eliminate in future years. I know this may be confusing but I really do think there will be funds for initial hearing aids when the final budget is passed.
What can you do? I continue to encourage you to meet face-to-face with your Representatives and Senators. It makes a difference. I especially encourage you to tell your Senators to please support full funding for BEGINNINGS and continuation of the initial hearing aid program for children under 3 years. And, please remember to thank them for the work they are doing and for specific votes they have made in support of H589 and S375.
A few requests:
1) Representative Margaret Dickson (Cumberland Co.-District 44) would like to meet and talk with parents and children with hearing loss who live in her district! If she is your Representative PLEASE CONTACT her at Margaret.Dickson@ncleg.net or 919-733-5776 in Raleigh and 910-485-3870 in Fayetteville. SHE SUPPORTS THE HEARING AID BILL.
2) If you are represented by any of the following, please let me know. They are key budget writers in the House or have influence on the budget.
Update as of 6/2/2009 This morning the House Insurance Committee heard H589—Insurance Coverage of Children’s Hearing Aids. Once again, the bill was unanimously reported out with a favorable report. This is due in large part to the “testimony” of 4 children, Collin T., Kevin and Alex D. and Rachel S. The Committee was able to see first-hand how important hearing aids are to children. Click here to see pictures of these children in action at our state capital. Click here to view Greensboro News and Record article: "Hear aid bill (video)" about the committee meeting.
The bill is now ready to be heard by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. Joni Alberg will be informed when the bills are on the agenda. In the meantime, she plans to talk with key House and Senate leaders to find out how to get the appropriation in the State Health Plan.
Please continue to write your legislators (or call them!!) to tell them how important H589 and S375 are to you.
Update as of 6/1/2009
The House Insurance Committee meets tomorrow, June 2, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. in Room 1228 of the Legislative Building. H589—Insurance Coverage for Children’s Hearing Aids—is the first item listed on the agenda. As before, Joni Alberg will be there to speak on the bill if needed.
We would again like to have 2-4 children prepared to speak on the bill. Although this is late notice, the children are very effective. If you can attend, please let Joni Alberg know!
Update as of 5/28/2009
Another successful day at the General Assembly! The Senate Commerce Committee heard S375 (Health Benefit Plan Coverage for Children’s Hearing Aids) this morning. Senator Bill Purcell presented the bill and gave a concise and compelling background and statement of importance and need. This was followed by comments from Tate R. (9 years old), Ani K. (6 ½ years old), Collin T. (8 years old) and Rachel S. (5 ½ years old). While Senator Purcell was compelling, these children convince the Committee members that this was a very important bill. And, the unanimously approved it and forwarded it on to the Senate Appropriations Committee. There were NO negative comments and several Senators spoke to the importance of this action. It was wonderful!! Thank you all who have contacted your Senators and Representatives and told them how important this legislation is to you and your children. It was clear the members were informed and committed to insuring insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids. Comments made to Joni Alberg following the meeting included "those children brought tears to my eyes" from both staff and Senators!
In addition to the children named above, Ella M. (16 months), Madeline M. (16 months), and Hannah O. (6 ½) were in attendance along with Ella’s brother Bryce and all the children's parents. Also, BEGINNINGS’ Board members Natalie Skergan and Fred Mills were there in attendance. All of the families in attendance today saw just how important their voices are. Next steps— The Senate bill will next be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee. We do not know yet when they will meet but will alert you when they do. We will again have 3-4 children speak on behalf of the bill and invite all who are interested to attend the meeting. Thank you all that have helped support this bill and for all everyone is doing to help move it through the legislative process. Please keep up the communications to your Senator and Representative and let them know you want their support for these bills!!! If your Senator is on the Commerce Committee or Representative is on House Health Committee follow-up with them and thank them for their support on this bill (S375/H589)!
Your voices are being heard!
Side note—
The House Subcommittee on Health and Human Services revealed their budget today. There are proposed cuts to nearly every program, including BEGINNINGS and the initial hearing aid program for children under 3 years. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THESE CUTS WILL OCCUR, but does mean the House and Senate have a lot of work ahead to reach a comprise on all these programs. Joni Alberg will send an email summarizing the proposed cuts and offering a course of action for ensuring these programs are not cut. Update as of 5/26/2009
This afternoon, the House Health Committee heard H589—insurance coverage for children’s hearing aids—and gave it a favorable report! In other words, they support the bill and referred it on to the House Insurance Committee. There were a few questions about the cost but no opposition!!
Collin T. and Sara S., along with their parents all attended the meeting and afterwards all spoke with Representatives Insko and England. They loved talking with the children.
The Senate version of the bill (S375) is on the Senate Commerce Committee calendar for Thursday, May 28 at 9:00 a.m. in Room 1027 of the Legislative Building. It is the first item on the agenda. Joni Alberg spoke with Senator Soles’ (Committee Chair) office today and they have agreed to have 2 children speak to the Committee when the bill is discussed Thursday. If you have or know of a child who uses hearing aids and are available Thursday morning to attend the Committee meeting, please let Joni Alberg know by the end of today. She needs to give the names of the children to Senator Soles tomorrow. Collin T. and Sara S., along with their parents, also met with Senator Philip Berger, Senate Republican Leader later in the day. Please keep up the communications to your Senator and Representative and let them know you want their support for these bills!!!
Your voices are being heard! Update as of 5/22/2009
The House Health Committee will address the health benefit plan coverage for children’s hearing aids (H589) on Tuesday, May 26 at 12:00 in Room 544 of the Legislative Office Building. Since this bill is the first one on the agenda, it will definitely be discussed.
All Committee meetings of the General Assembly are open to the public. The public may not, however, be invited to speak. It depends on the Chair. If the Chair decides a bill may be controversial he/she may invite comment both pro and con. This bill has received a lot of support and 3 of the 4 Primary Sponsors are on the Health Committee, as are several of the Co-Sponsors. Rep. Bob England will present the bill. Background information has been provided to him that he will use in his presentation. He “may” call on Joni Alberg to say a few words or to answer questions if they arise. But, he may not. If he does and it would be best for a parent or child to respond Joni will ask to recognize any of you who may be in attendance. Even if we are not invited to speak, you may want to watch legislators in action! You may also want to contact the members of the Committee between now and Tuesday to encourage their support of this bill. Phone calls and email will be the best avenues for this.
The Legislative Office Building (LOB) is located on the corner of Salisbury and Lane Streets in Raleigh. The following link will provide you directions and a map of downtown Raleigh.
Update as of 4/21/2009
The “actuarial notes” for Senate Bill 375 and House Bill 589 have been completed!! Click here to view the Senate Bill 375 actuarial note. Click here to view the House Bill 589 actuarial note. The next step we are waiting for is getting the bills back on the House and Senate Committee agendas. We will let you know when they are scheduled.
In the meantime, remember to contact your Senator and Representative and let them know you want their support for these bills!!!
Update as of 4/14/2009
We are still waiting on the “actuarial notes” for Senate Bill 375 and House Bill 589. We are now expecting the notes to be ready either this week or next and will let you know as soon as we hear something. Some has been in contact with the Fiscal Research Staff responsible for the notes and has assured our bills are on “their radar.” This is a very busy time, especially for actions involving the State Health Plan.
In the meantime, remember to contact your Senator and Representative and let them know you want their support for these bills!!!
Update as of 4/1/2009
Senate bill 375 was pulled from the Senate Commerce Committee agenda the morning of March 31. The reason for this is the “actuarial note” that must accompany the bill is not ready. This note is required since the bill will impact the State Health Plan. There are many fiscal note requests right now and we have to wait until this one is ready. We will let you know as soon as we hear it is ready, hopefully later this week. If that happens, the bill will be back on the agenda of the Senate Commerce Committee next week and most likely the House Health Committee, too.
In the meantime, remember to contact your Senator and Representative and let them know you want their support!!!
Update as of 3/27/2009
The Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31.
Our bill is on the agenda of the Senate Commerce Committee for Tuesday, March 31. The Committee meets in Room 1027 of the Legislative Building. Our bill is the second item on the agenda so if the meeting is not cancelled this bill will be discussed.
Our goal for this meeting is to have the Proposed Committee Substitute (PCS) introduced and a favorable report sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Appropriations Committee must address it because there are cost implications for the State Health Plan. Attached is a copy of the PCS prepared for the House version of the bill. An identical PCS will be prepared for S375. As before, if you plan to attend check the Senate calendar at the link below Tuesday morning. Members of the Committee are (those highlighted signed on to the Bill):
If any of these members represent you in the Senate, I encourage you to contact them and ask for their support of S375 and the PCS that will be introduced Tuesday in Committee.
REMEMBER, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO MOVE THIS LEGISLATION FORWARD IS TO TELL YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS TO YOU!!! CALL, SEND AN EMAIL, SEE THEM IN PERSON, IF POSSIBLE, BUT LET THEM HEAR FROM YOU!
If you do not yet know who represents you in the NC House and Senate, you can find out at
If you do not know your 9-digit zip code, you will be able to find it at this site.
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