Past Legislation
Political Candidates Required to Caption Campaign Ads
A new Minnesota law requires that all candidates caption their ads on the Web and TV and that they put transcripts of their radio ads on their websites. We are the first state to require captioning on the Web.
Since 1995 the Federal Campaign Finance Law has mandated that presidential candidates who receive public funds must caption their ads. Other states have passed similar laws—Rhode Island, Florida and California. Minnesota is the first state to include radio and the web.
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SF2574/HF3172 Bill Details [38.00KB]
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Name Change to: THE COMMISSION OF DEAF, DEAFBLIND AND HARD OF HEARING MINNESOTANS (MCDHH)
Clarification of Scope of Work and Electronic Meetings
The new law does the following:
- Changes the name to include deafblind individuals.
- Allows MCDHH to conduct their meetings electronically.
- Clarifies that MCDHH advises the judicial, executive and legislative branches of state government.
We still value the importance of meeting face-to-face and will continue to do so, while also holding electronic meetings when appropriate.
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SF3364/HF3735 Bill Details [35.50KB]
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Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Mandated in Minnesota
Minnesota now has a mandate for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI). The law mandates screening, follow-up, and consistent protocol for referral, coordination and specialized intervention to ensure successful education outcomes for Minnesota’s children with hearing loss. The protocols are being developed by the EHDI Advisory Committee which is written into the law.
Prior to the passage of the law, the CDC rated Minnesota’s hearing screening and reporting as unsatisfactory. We were one of five states that did not have a mandate. When infants are screened and identified at birth and receive intervention by 6 months, the gap between chronological age and language acquisition narrows significantly regardless of the communication mode used.
The bill was passed by a coalition of groups that included the Minnesota Association of Deaf Citizens, Hearing Loss Association of America Minnesota Chapter, Minnesota Hands and Voices, AG Bell Association Minnesota Chapter, the Minnesota Hospital Association, and the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans.
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SF1095/HF1206 Bill Details [39.00KB]
The “Guide By Your Side” For Parents With Children With Hearing Loss
The legislature allocated one-time funds of $200,000 for MN Hands & Voices; it pays for six Parent Guides in Greater Minnesota who provide personal one-on-one support and advocacy to families who have children with hearing loss in their region.
Most parents who are informed of their child’s newly diagnosed hearing loss need support and need to receive unbiased information about communication, medical and educational options from other parents who have ‘been there.’ Parent Guides are the first point of contact for parents in Minnesota who have babies that are newly diagnosed with hearing loss.
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SF384/HF462 Bill Details [32.00KB]
Statewide Loaner Hearing Instrument Bank
This program provides immediate amplification to infants that are newly identified with a hearing loss at no cost to the parent. The program loans new and reconditioned behind-the-ear hearing aids, bone conduction hearing aids and FM systems for a six-month period of time at no cost to the family.
This loan period is designed to provide families with adequate time to investigate amplification for their child and funding sources without delaying intervention. Before purchasing expensive aids they need to see what works for their child and to work out payment through their insurance company, through financial aid programs or through personal resources.
As screening and follow up get better in Minnesota the need for loaner hearing instruments will only increase. Continued coordination and promotion of the Loaner Bank is needed to ensure that every infant has access to language before six months of age.
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SF1320/HF1071 Bill Details [27.50KB]
Supporting Families: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Mentors
Approximately 94% of children born with a hearing loss are born to hearing parents; most have limited or no experience interacting with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. Meeting a successful deaf adult moves the parent from making decisions from a place of fear of the unknown to confidence that their child can have a full and rich life.
The Deaf Mentor approach provides the family the choice of also using a Deaf Mentor (deaf adult) who makes regular visits to the home, interacts with the child using American Sign Language (ASL), shows family members how to use ASL, and helps the family understand and appreciate deafness and deaf culture. There are plans to expand the program and offer mentors to people who are deaf who do not sign.
The Joint Committee on Infant Hearing EHDI Recommendations and Guidelines lists a family’s relationship to deaf and hard of hearing adult mentors as a key indicator in successful outcomes for the child.
Eighty thousand dollars was allocated to this program every two years.
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SF1380/HF1361 Bill Details [27.00KB]
Hearing Aid Coverage For Children
This bill amended MS62A.042 and extends coverage to children birth through 18 with an acquired hearing loss. The law provides insurance coverage for all children regardless of their hearing loss if the families’ coverage is from a fully insured plan.
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SF805/HF633 Bill Details [28.50KB]
Early Hearing Detection And Intervention Education Coordinator
In preparation for the increased numbers of children that we anticipate will be identified through a newborn hearing screening mandate, we need to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to provide them with the specialized services they need. We anticipate that a mandate will bring numbers of identified newborns up to 240 babies a year.
Existing resources outside the education system are underutilized. The quality and quantity of services and options available to children who are deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind varies dramatically across from school district to school district across the state.
The new law requires that the Minnesota Department of Education hire an EHDI Coordinator to develop and provide training, support existing EHDI teams, and serve as a liaison between the Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Education, as well as between Interagency Education Intervention Councils, the 16 EHDI teams, Part C in MDH, MDE, and the Department of Human Services, and other early intervention resources. MDE is required to share aggregate data on the outcomes of children who receive intervention and share it with the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing People.
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SF1665/HF1887 Bill Details [34.50KB]
Additional Funds For Intervenors And SSPS For Deafblind Children And Adults
The additional funds cover the cost of increased numbers of service hours and numbers of individuals who are deafblind who will receive services from Intervenors and Support Service Providers. The funds also pay to teach county social workers to look for signs of deafblindness in seniors and others so they can get the intervention they need. In Minnesota, there are 231 children birth through 21 who are deafblind. There are an estimated 600 adults.
Of the five senses, the two that provide the most information are vision and hearing. Intervenors and Support Service Providers help individuals with deafblindness get the visual and auditory information and assistance with mobility they need to maximize their potential.
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SF888/HF842 Bill Details [32.00KB]
Increased Funds for Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (MCDHH)
The Minnesota Commission Serving Deaf and Hard of Hearing People (MCDHH) is a Governor appointed Commission that advocates for equal opportunity for Minnesotans who are deaf, hard of hearing and deafblind. (MS256C.28) It’s budget was $95,000 for close to twenty years. The budget is now increased by $300,000 and allows the commission to respond to the demands of the community to increase the advocacy services it provides.
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SF1381/HF1517 Bill Details [34.50KB]
Funding for Communication Access to Transition Training Programs For Students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
VECTOR Transition Services (Intermediate District 287) is a nationally recognized, statewide culturally appropriate transition program serving students, ages 18 – 21 in the metropolitan area. Over the last five years, 95% of deaf and hard of hearing students were successfully employed (supported or independent) or enrolled in postsecondary programs at the time of graduation. It was close to folding because the costs of interpreters made the program too expensive for school districts.
The bill which was passed covers the costs of interpreters ($350,000). It reduces the rate a school district pays for deaf and hard of hearing students.
For more information on this bill, download this file:
SF1135/HF1252 Bill Details [38.00KB]
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