Bill
A 4986
The bill creates the Early Language Access Program to provide ASL-focused language services and support for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deaf-blind children 0–5 and their families in
Status
- Introduced: Oct 24, 2024
- Assembly passed: May 22, 2025 (78–0)
- Reported with Senate committee amendments: June 9, 2025
- Substituted by S6213 and reported to Rules: June 17, 2025
- Current status: SUBSTITUTED BY S6213
Purpose
- Codifies and expands an early language instruction program (originally the “Leveling the Playing Field” pilot) to support language acquisition and developmental needs of deaf, hard‑of‑hearing, and deaf‑blind children up to age five and their families. The program is named the Early Language Access Program under the amended bill.
Key provisions
- Establishment and placement:
- As amended, the program is established in the Department of Health (DOH), in conjunction with the Department of Education and the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf. (Introduced version placed it in the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, DHS.)
- Target population:
- Children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf‑blind, aged five and younger, plus their families.
- Eligibility requires proof of hearing loss, age, and New Jersey residency.
- Core services:
- Each eligible child/family is to be matched with an American Sign Language (ASL) Deaf Language Associate to provide instruction and support up to 25 hours per week.
- Services must be available in settings where the child participates in daily life (home, childcare, preschool, summer camp).
- Additional services (examples, not limited to):
- Consultation with licensed audiologists and speech‑language pathologists.
- Case management by professionals able to communicate in the family’s preferred mode (ASL, spoken language, AAC).
- Assistance locating/interpreting or real‑time captioning services.
- Support obtaining hearing technologies (hearing aids, bone‑anchored devices, cochlear implants), audiological evaluations, maintenance, and aural rehabilitation.
- Information/referral to other resources and sensitivity training for providers.
- Early Intervention alignment and cost sharing:
- To the extent permitted by federal/state law, services for children birth–age 3 are to be delivered through the DOH Early Intervention Program.
- Services are free except where Early Intervention cost‑sharing rules apply.
- Funding:
- The program is supported by a $550,000 appropriation in the FY2025 Appropriations Act.
Who is affected
- Primary: Deaf, hard‑of‑hearing, and deaf‑blind children (0–5) and their families in New Jersey.
- Secondary: ASL Deaf Language Associates, audiologists, speech‑language pathologists, interpreters, early intervention and education providers, DOH/DOE/Marie H. Katzenbach School administrative staff.
Implementation/timeline
- As reported in the introduced version, regulatory authority was assigned to the Executive Director of the Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHS) with an effective date 90 days after enactment. Committee amendments transferred program administration to DOH and aligned early‑childhood services with the DOH Early Intervention Program; final statutory effective date and rulemaking provisions will follow the enacted language (or S6213 if enacted in substituted form).
Related bills
- Companion/related: S3764, S6213 (substituted), A5777 (prior session).
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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