House Committee Passes Funding Bill with Key ASHA Priorities

July 7, 2022

Last week, the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations advanced legislation to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for fiscal year (FY) 2023. The bill includes numerous provisions that ASHA has advocated for.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

The bill substantially increases funding for IDEA, providing $17.7 billion, more than $3.2 billion above FY 2022 levels. The bill also includes language encouraging the U.S. Department of Education to provide technical assistance to help audiologists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) better support students with speech-language disorders in school settings, which is a top ASHA priority.

Specifically, the bill includes:

$2.9 billion increase for IDEA Part B (State Grants), for a total of $16.2 billion
$30 million increase for IDEA Section 619 (Preschool Grants), for a total of $440 million
$125 million increase for IDEA Part C (Infants and Toddlers), for a total of $621.3 million
$155 million increase for IDEA Part D section 662 (personnel preparation), for a total of $250 million

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)

The bill provides funding for EHDI programs, which facilitate early screening, diagnosis, and treatment for infants and young children with hearing loss.

Specifically, the bill includes:

$18.8 million, an increase of $1 million over FY 2022, for the Health Resources & Services Administration to fund state-based programs that facilitate screening, ensure timely audiological diagnostic evaluations, and connect families with crucial early intervention services
$10.7 million, the same as FY 2022, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide technical assistance on data collection, management, and research to state based EHDI programs
Language directing the CDC to address disparities in pediatric hearing health care by expanding its work to:
- improve surveillance of early hearing detection and intervention systems to ensure access to timely identification of congenital and acquired hearing loss and
- develop materials to enhance connection to follow up services among racial and ethnic minorities, and other medically underserved populations.

Communications Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and Rehabilitation Research

The bill includes funding to enhance and improve hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language research through the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and to augment the abilities of people with functional impairments through research supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Specifically, the bill includes:

$16.2 million increase for the NIDCD, for a total of $531 million
Language encouraging NIDCD to convene a workshop involving key stakeholders including industry, academia, and patient advocates, to develop a roadmap for bringing therapies and treatments to individuals with hearing loss
$1 million increase for NIDILRR, for a total of $117.4 million

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The bill directs NIH to provide an update on research across its Institutes related to hearing screenings for older adults and to prioritize funding to address research needs.

What’s Next?

The House must vote on this legislation, which could happen later this month, and the Senate must approve these funding levels before they can become law. Since it could be months before that happens, ASHA encourages all ASHA members to send messages of support to their federal representatives by asking them to: