PRINTER'S NO. 1836
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1269
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY BARTOLOTTA, SCHWANK, TEPLITZ, COSTA, FONTANA,
VULAKOVICH, GREENLEAF, SABATINA, BREWSTER, RAFFERTY, BLAKE,
YUDICHAK, MENSCH, BOSCOLA, VOGEL AND AUMENT, MAY 18, 2016
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, MAY 18, 2016
AN ACT
Amending the act of December 19, 1990 (P.L.1372, No.212),
entitled "An act providing for early intervention services
for infants, toddlers and preschool children who qualify;
establishing the Interagency Coordinating Council and
providing for its powers and duties; and conferring powers
and duties upon the Department of Education and the State
Board of Education, the Department of Health and the
Department of Public Welfare," in general provisions, further
providing for definitions; and, in Statewide system for
provision of early intervention services, further providing
for child identification, assessment and tracking system.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 103 of the act of December 19, 1990
(P.L.1372, No.212), known as the Early Intervention Services
System Act, is amended to read:
Section 103. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
* * *
"Postpartum depression." A major depressive episode with an
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onset in pregnancy or within one year of the birth of a child.
* * *
Section 2. Section 305 of the act, amended October 14, 2014
(P.L.2500, No.143), is amended to read:
Section 305. Child identification, assessment and tracking
system.
(a) Development of system.--The Department of [Public
Welfare] Human Services, the Department of Education and the
Department of Health shall develop a Statewide system for
eligible child identification, assessment and tracking. This
system shall be developed and coordinated by the agencies to
assure that the system is compatible with the child-find system
as required by Part B.
(b) At-risk children.--For the purposes of child
identification, assessment and tracking for infants and
toddlers, the Department of [Public Welfare] Human Services
shall establish, by regulation, population groups to be included
in these activities. The population groups shall include, but
not be limited to, children whose birth weight is under 1,500
grams; children cared for in neonatal intensive care units of
hospitals; children born to chemically dependent mothers and
referred by a physician, health care provider or parent;
children who are seriously abused or neglected, as substantiated
and referred by the county children and youth agency under the
act of November 26, 1975 (P.L.438, No.124), known as the Child
Protective Services Law; children with confirmed dangerous
levels of lead poisoning as set by the Department of Health;
[and] children who are homeless[.]; and children who have a
parent that is either at high risk for or is diagnosed as having
postpartum depression and who are referred to the Department of
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Human Services by a physician, health care provider or parent.
The Department of [Public Welfare] Human Services may establish
other population groups by regulation as it deems necessary.
(c) Components of system.--The system shall include, but
need not be limited to, the provision of the following
activities and services:
(1) The identification of eligible children and referral
to early intervention services as soon after birth as
possible.
(2) Referral services for families of eligible children.
(3) Continuing assessment of at-risk children from birth
through age of beginners.
(4) A description of agencies providing early
intervention services and the services provided by each
agency.
(5) Pertinent information regarding the exit of the
child from early intervention services.
(6) The orderly transfer of the accumulated information
to the appropriate provider upon the child's attainment of
age of beginners, except if the child has met exit criteria
contained in this act.
(d) Confidentiality.--Proper measures shall be developed and
implemented to assure the confidentiality of the data contained
in the system. Information shall be accessed only by appropriate
staff of the Department of [Public Welfare] Human Services, the
Department of Education and the Department of Health, including
the staff of each agency's local entities, such as county mental
health and mental retardation offices, school districts and
intermediate units, which are responsible for the provision of
services either directly or through subcontract to private
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providers. Nothing in this section is intended to preclude the
utilization of data to provide for the preparation of reports,
fiscal information or other documents required by this act or
the Education of the Handicapped Act; but no information may be
used in a manner which would allow for the identification of an
individual child or family.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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