Bill Amendment: IL HB1783 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly

NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List

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Bill Title: ST BD ED-LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT

Status: 2026-07-30 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0658 [HB1783 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB1783-House_Amendment_002.html

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Rep. Michelle Mussman

Filed: 4/14/2026

 

 

 

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AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1783
AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1783 by replacing
everything after the enacting clause with the following:
"Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Language Equality Acquisition for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or
DeafBlind Children Act.
Section 5. Findings and goal.
(a) The General Assembly finds that there is an urgent and
substantial need to do all of the following:
(1) Develop a State-recognized language needs and
monitoring program for deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind
children with language and communication developmental
milestones to assist parents, guardians, and educators in
determining the language and communication needs and goals
of deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children.
(2) End language deprivation in children who are deaf,

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hard of hearing, or DeafBlind through proper assessment,
monitoring, and tracking of language and communication
developmental milestones.
(3) Provide access to primary languages to be used at
home, including, but not limited to, American Sign
Language, English, or Protactile, all of which are
essential in the development of cognition, communication,
literacy, and language in deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind children and in enhancing preschool and
kindergarten readiness.
(4) Maximize resources associated with early
intervention services by ensuring deaf, hard of hearing,
and DeafBlind children have the necessary language
foundation to communicate, learn, and achieve their
maximum potential.
(5) Enhance deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind,
children's independence, linguistic proficiency,
productivity, and socialization with peers, family, and
the community, as well as maximize the potential for these
children to thrive in childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood.
(b) The General Assembly declares that the goal of this
State is for deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children to
enter public and nonpublic schools in this State prepared for
learning, able to communicate with peers and staff, and with
access to resources to help these children succeed.

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Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Advisory committee" means the advisory committee
established under Section 25.
"American Sign Language" means a complete, visual, and
manual sign language with its own grammar and syntax that is
used by many deaf or hard of hearing individuals.
"Communication" means the process of exchanging
information between individuals or groups that involves the
transmission of ideas, feelings, or facts from one person, the
sender, to another, the receiver, and may be verbal or
nonverbal and plays a crucial role in human interaction.
"DeafBlind" means concomitant hearing and vision
impairments, the combination of which causes such significant
communication, developmental, or educational needs that they
cannot be accommodated solely for children with deafness or
low-vision blindness.
"English" means a method of human communication consisting
of the use of English words in a structured and conventional
way, including spoken English, written English, and English
with or without the use of visual or tactile supplements or
dual language services.
"English literacy" means the ability to read and write in
English.
"Kindergarten readiness" means language, communication,
early reading and math literacy, and social skills development

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for each language of the home that is consistent with
age-related peers by kindergarten.
"Language" means the age-appropriate development of human
communication, spoken, written, or signed, consisting of the
use of words and signs in a structured and conventional way.
"Language and communication developmental milestones"
means milestones of development measured by validated
instruments used to meet the requirements of federal law for
the assessment of children from birth to 5 years of age.
"Protactile" means the value of touch-based interactions
for the purposes of communication for individuals who are
DeafBlind that has its own grammar and syntax and that allows
for individuals to connect with the world around them and
fosters greater independence for those with multisensory
impairments.
Section 15. Applicability.
(a) This Act applies to children from birth to 5 years of
age.
(b) This Act is subject to appropriation.
Section 20. Language needs and monitoring program for
deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children.
(a) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission, the Department of Early Childhood, the State Board

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of Education, and the Department of Public Health, shall
establish a language needs and monitoring program for deaf,
hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children. The scope of the
program shall include language and communication developmental
milestones in American Sign Language, English, Protactile, or
the primary language used in the home. The purpose of the
program is to assess, monitor, and track the language and
communication developmental milestones of children who are
deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind and develop a resource for
use by parents and guardians to monitor and support deaf, hard
of hearing, or DeafBlind children's expressive and receptive
language acquisition and developmental stages toward English
literacy and kindergarten readiness.
(b) The resource developed under subsection (a) shall:
(1) consider the language and communication
developmental milestones recommended by the advisory
committee;
(2) be appropriate for use, in both content and
administration, with deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind
children who use American Sign Language, English,
Protactile, or the primary language used in the home;
(3) include and present evidence-based language and
communication developmental milestones for typically
developing children, by age range; language and
communication development milestones shall be aligned with
this State's infant, toddler, preschool-age, and

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school-age guidelines, as well as federal laws and State
standards in English language arts and related programs;
(4) be provided in English, American Sign Language,
Protactile, and the primary language used in the home for
clarity and ease of use by parents, guardians, health care
professionals, interventionists, and educators;
(5) be consistent with State and federal guidelines on
early intervention, identification, diagnosis, and early
childhood education;
(6) inform parents and guardians of their right to
choose their preferred language that will be used to
communicate and provide a language-rich learning
environment for their child, including English, American
Sign Language, Protactile, or the primary language used in
the home;
(7) inform parents and guardians that they may bring
the resource to an individualized family service plan,
individualized education program, or federal Section 504
plan meeting for purposes of supporting their choices and
observations regarding their child's language and
communication development; the resource shall include
evidence-based and comprehensive information about
American Sign Language, English, Protactile, or the
primary language used in the home, as well as available
services and programs; and
(8) make clear that the resource is a checklist of

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language and communication developmental milestones that
has been created from evidence-based resources and
completed by a parent or guardian and professionals
together and may have similarities and differences from
standardized testing presented at an individualized family
service plan, individualized education program, or federal
Section 504 plan meeting; the parent or guardian shall be
made aware that the school district is not required to use
the resources, language and communication developmental
milestones, or specific assessments in this subsection and
subsection (a) that are recommended by the advisory
committee for the purpose of developing the individualized
family service plan, individualized education program, or
federal Section 504 plan.
(c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission, the Department of Early Childhood, the State Board
of Education, and the Department of Public Health, shall
consult with subject matter experts on the advisory committee
in selecting from lists of validated tools or assessments for
interventionists and educators to be used in the assessment of
language, communication, and preliteracy development for deaf,
hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children, in accordance with
assessment requirements under the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and Section 10-65 of the Department
of Early Childhood Act. The selection of the tools or

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assessments shall:
(1) be in a format that shows language and
communication developmental milestones;
(2) take into consideration the recommendations of the
advisory committee to measure the development of deaf,
hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children's expressive and
receptive language acquisition and language and
communication developmental milestones toward literacy;
(3) be selected from a list of tools or assessments
used to assess the development of all children; and
(4) be appropriate, in both content and
administration, for use with deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind children.
The tools or assessments may be used, in addition to the
assessments required by federal law, by a child's
individualized family service plan or individualized education
program, as applicable, to track a deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind child's progress and to establish or modify an
individualized family service plan or individualized education
program. Children with federal Section 504 plans shall be
assessed to ensure appropriate services are provided. The
tools or assessments may reflect the recommendations of the
advisory committee.
(d) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission, the Department of Early Childhood, the State Board

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of Education, and the Department of Public Health, shall
disseminate the resource developed under subsection (a) to the
parents or guardians of deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind
children and, pursuant to federal law, the Department of Human
Services shall disseminate the tools and assessments selected
under subsection (c) to early intervention entities and school
districts for consideration in the development and
modification of individualized family service plans,
individualized education programs, and federal Section 504
plans.
(e) The Department of Human Services shall make available
to parents and guardians materials and training on the tools,
assessments, and resources for deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind children.
(f) Beginning on July 1, 2028, an annual language
assessment shall be offered to the parent or guardian of each
child who is deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, in
accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and Section 10-65 of the Department of Early
Childhood Act. The language assessment shall be administered
by a credentialed or licensed professional who meets the
qualifications established by the test developer and
demonstrates proficiency in the language being assessed.
A deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind newborn child shall
be screened by the time the child turns one month old,
diagnosed no later than 3 months of age, and referred to an

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early intervention program by the time the child turns 6
months old. Following the referral to an early intervention
program, the initial evaluation, assessment, and
individualized family service plan meeting shall occur within
45 days. Services shall begin no later than 30 days after the
consent of the parent or guardian is obtained as required by
the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and
Section 10-65 of the Department of Early Childhood Act.
A deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind child with late
onset hearing loss shall be diagnosed no later than 3 months
after a suspected hearing loss and immediately referred to
services after diagnosis.
If a deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind child is referred
to an early intervention program, a formal assessment shall be
offered, in person or virtually, by a developmental
therapist-hearing or discipline-specific credentialed
provider upon program entry and at yearly intervals, in
accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act and Section 10-65 of the Department of Early
Childhood Act. Developmental therapists-hearing and
discipline-specific credentialed providers shall be expected
to refer out as appropriate for children whose primary
language is American Sign Language or Protactile to ensure
assessments of children are completed by individuals with the
ability to accurately conduct such assessments.
A deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind child entering

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school with an individualized education program or federal
Section 504 plan shall receive a formal assessment implemented
by a licensed teacher of the deaf or discipline-specific
licensed teacher. Licensed teachers of the deaf or
discipline-specific licensed teachers shall be expected to
refer out as appropriate for children whose primary language
is American Sign Language or Protactile to ensure assessments
of children are completed by those individuals with the
ability to accurately conduct such assessments.
The advisory committee shall recommend the criteria that
may be used to identify those individuals who are qualified to
conduct accurate American Sign Language or Protactile
assessments.
In accordance with the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and Section 10-65 of the Department
of Early Childhood Act, if a deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind child does not demonstrate progress in expressive
and receptive language skills, the child's individualized
family service plan, individualized education program, or
federal Section 504 plan team shall be responsible for
identifying areas not meeting or progressing toward the
language and communication developmental milestones. Data
collected on children with disabilities in addition to hearing
loss, nonnative English speakers, and children with unilateral
or bilateral hearing loss shall be extrapolated and analyzed
independently to ensure data efficacy is not compromised. The

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individualized family service plan, individualized education
program, or federal Section 504 plan team, including the
parents or guardians, shall consider specific strategies,
services, and programs to assist the child's success toward
learning the child's parent's or guardian's preferred
language. A follow-up meeting shall be scheduled within 30 to
60 days or as deemed appropriate by the individualized family
service plan, individualized education program, or federal
Section 504 plan team to determine the effects of the
recommendations.
(g) All activities in implementing this Section shall be
consistent with federal and State law regarding the education
of children with disabilities and the privacy of pupil
information.
Section 25. Advisory committee.
(a) An advisory committee on language needs and monitoring
shall be established. The advisory committee shall be composed
of subject matter experts, consumers, and parents or guardians
supporting deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children.
(b) The advisory committee shall consist of all of the
following voting members, each appointed by the Secretary of
Human Services, in consultation with the Illinois School for
the Deaf and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission:
(1) One parent or guardian of a child who (i) is 18
years of age or younger at the time of the appointment,

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(ii) is deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, and (iii)
uses the dual languages of American Sign Language and
English.
(2) One parent or guardian of a child who (i) is 18
years of age or younger at the time of the appointment,
(ii) is deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, and (iii)
uses primarily spoken English, without sign support.
(3) One expert on language outcomes for deaf and hard
of hearing children who use American Sign Language and the
English language.
(4) One licensed teacher of deaf and hard of hearing
children from a spoken English-only school or one expert
on language outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing children
using spoken English, with or without visual supplements.
(5) One licensed teacher of deaf and hard of hearing
children whose expertise is in curriculum and instruction
in American Sign Language and English, with or without
visual supplements, or one licensed teacher of deaf and
hard of hearing children whose expertise is in American
Sign Language and English language assessments, with or
without visual supplements.
(6) A psychologist with expertise in assessing deaf
and hard of hearing children who use or are fluent in
American Sign Language and English.
(7) One developmental therapist-hearing who works with
deaf and hard of hearing infants and toddlers who use the

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dual languages of American Sign Language and the English
language.
(8) One licensed speech-language pathologist who has
expertise in working with children and who uses listening
and spoken language methodologies.
(9) One licensed speech-language pathologist who has
expertise in working with children who use American Sign
Language.
(10) One deaf person who represents the deaf
community.
(11) One DeafBlind individual, specialist, or educator
whose expertise is in DeafBlind advocacy or education.
(12) One licensed teacher of deaf and hard of hearing
children who also has significant experience in working
with deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children with
other educational disabilities.
(13) One licensed pediatric audiologist with working
knowledge of American Sign Language and English.
(c) The advisory committee shall consist of all of the
following ex officio, nonvoting members:
(1) The State Superintendent of Education or the State
Superintendent's designee.
(2) The Director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission or the Director's designee.
(3) The Secretary of Early Childhood or the
Secretary's designee.

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(4) The Director of Public Health or the Director's
designee.
(5) The Superintendent of the Illinois School for the
Deaf or the Superintendent's designee.
(6) The Secretary of Human Services or the Secretary's
designee.
The ex officio, nonvoting members shall provide support to
the advisory committee.
(d) The Secretary of Human Services, in consultation with
the Illinois School for the Deaf and the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Commission, shall select a chairperson from among the
voting appointed members. The Department of Human Services
shall call an inaugural meeting of the advisory committee
within 120 days of the effective date of this Act. The advisory
committee may meet at any time in person or virtually at the
call of the chairperson.
(e) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without
compensation or travel reimbursement. Communication access
accommodations, such as interpreters and captioning, must be
provided at all meetings to ensure full participation.
(f) A quorum of the advisory committee shall consist of a
simple majority of the members of the advisory committee,
voting and nonvoting. All actions and recommendations of the
advisory committee must be approved by an advisory committee
vote of the members appointed.
(g) Any vacancy in the advisory committee shall be filled

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in the same manner as the original appointment.
(h) The Department of Human Services shall provide the
advisory committee with administrative support.
(i) On or before December 31, 2027, the advisory committee
shall submit to the Department of Human Services specific,
recommended action plans, timelines, anticipated costs, and
proposed rules necessary to fully implement language and
communication tools, assessments, and resources. The advisory
committee may:
(1) solicit input from experts on the selection of
language and communication developmental milestones
related to the resources, tools, and assessments;
(2) review and monitor the use of language and
communication assessments for children who are deaf, hard
of hearing, or DeafBlind;
(3) recommend criteria for qualified American Sign
Language and English experts who can support the initial
and periodic individualized family service plan,
individualized education program, or federal Section 504
plan team meetings; and
(4) recommend methods for documenting, monitoring, and
submitting to all State agencies, child-specific
information on language and communication assessment
results, language and communication developmental
milestones, assessment tools, and the progress of a child.
The periodic assessment results and longitudinal progress

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ultimately implemented by the Department of Human Services,
considering the recommendations of the advisory committee and
in consultation with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission,
the Department of Early Childhood, the State Board of
Education, and the Department of Public Health, shall be made
available on the child-specific level to each State agency and
to the parent or guardian of the child, teachers, and other
professionals involved in the early intervention and education
of the child.
(j) The specific recommended action plans and proposed
rules developed by the advisory committee shall include, but
are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) Language and communication assessments that
include child-specific data collection and timely tracking
in a statewide data system of a child's development to
provide information about the child's receptive and
expressive language compared to the child's typically
developing, age-related peers who are not deaf, hard of
hearing, or DeafBlind.
(2) Language and communication assessments conducted
in accordance with the federal Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act and Section 10-65 of the
Department of Early Childhood Act, as well as standardized
procedures and timelines to monitor and track language and
communication developmental milestones in both receptive
and expressive language acquisition by language and

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communication developmental milestones toward
kindergarten readiness for all children who are deaf, hard
of hearing, or DeafBlind.
(3) Language and communication assessments delivered
in American Sign Language, English, Protactile, or the
primary language used in the home that have been validated
for the specific purposes for which each assessment is
used and appropriately normed.
Language and communication assessments shall be
administered by individuals who are proficient and have
expertise in the language and communication developmental
stages of American Sign Language, English, Protactile, or the
primary language used in the home.
Language and communication assessment results may be used
to guide individualized family service plan, individualized
education program, or federal Section 504 plan teams for the
purpose of reviewing a child's progress in language and
communication development.
Language and communication assessment results shall be
reported to the parent or guardian of a child. Child-specific
data, in accordance with federal and State laws, shall be
reported to the Department of Human Services, which shall
ensure it is available to appropriate staff at the Deaf and
Hard of Hearing Commission, the Department of Early Childhood,
the State Board of Education, and the Department of Public
Health. One designated State agency shall publish annual

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reports related to this Act.
Language and communication assessment results shall be
reported annually to the child's individualized family service
plan, individualized education program, or federal Section 504
plan team to assist the individualized family service plan,
individualized education program, or federal Section 504 plan
team in ensuring that appropriate language and communication
development remains a priority and continues to be monitored.
(k) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2028.
Section 30. Joint action plan on deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind children. On or before July 1, 2028, the Department
of Human Services, in consultation with the Illinois School
for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the
Department of Early Childhood, the State Board of Education,
and the Department of Public Health, shall publish a joint
action plan that considers the recommendations of the advisory
committee and may propose legislation and rules necessary to
implement this Act. The joint action plan may include
recommendations on all of the following:
(1) Evidence-based and research-supported tools to
help identify deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind
children.
(2) The development of evidence-based resources and
training for parents, guardians, health care providers,
interventionists, and educators about State resources

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available to deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind children
of school age.
(3) Ways to connect deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind adults with families supporting children in need
of support.
(4) Training and resources for physicians and other
health care providers on how to connect deaf, hard of
hearing, or DeafBlind children and their parents or
guardians to resources and support.
Section 35. Reporting. On or before January 1, 2030 or 2
years after the tools and assessments under Section 20 are
implemented, whichever is later, the Department of Human
Services, in consultation with the Illinois School for the
Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Department
of Early Childhood, the State Board of Education, and the
Department of Public Health, shall publish aggregate
deidentified data on (i) the number of children from birth to 3
years of age who have been diagnosed as deaf, hard of hearing,
or DeafBlind, (ii) the number and scope of individualized
education programs written for children aged 3 to 5 years who
are enrolled in public preschool programs and who are deaf,
hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, and (iii) the number and scope
of individualized education programs for children in
kindergarten and first grade who are deaf, hard of hearing, or
DeafBlind. The Department of Human Services, in consultation

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with the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing Commission, the Department of Early Childhood, the
State Board of Education, and the Department of Public Health,
may add additional data reporting recommendations. The data
must be shared within the requirements of the federal Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the Illinois
School Student Records Act, and the Personal Information
Protection Act.
Section 40. Information sharing.
(a) For the purposes of documentation and the coordination
of medical care, intervention, or educational services, the
Department of Human Services, the Illinois School for the
Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Department
of Early Childhood, the State Board of Education, and the
Department of Public Health may, after obtaining consent,
share screening, diagnosis, intervention, education,
assessment, and monitoring information with other State
agencies or a child's parent or guardian.
(b) For the purposes of documentation and the coordination
of medical care, intervention, or educational services, the
Department of Human Services, the Illinois School for the
Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Department
of Early Childhood, the State Board of Education, and the
Department of Public Health may, after obtaining consent,
share screening, diagnosis, intervention, education,

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assessment, and monitoring information in accordance with
applicable State and federal laws. Medical care facilities,
health care providers, early interventionists, local health
departments, and the University of Illinois at Chicago
Division of Specialized Care for Children may submit relevant
information or reports about newborn, infant, and child
screening, diagnosis, intervention, education, assessment, or
follow-up services for those services provided. To the extent
practicable, reporting shall be done as soon as possible after
the date of service or an inquiry from a State agency. Reports
shall be in a format determined by the reporting State agency.
(c) The Department of Human Services, in consultation with
the Illinois School for the Deaf, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Commission, the Department of Early Childhood, the State Board
of Education, and the Department of Public Health, may
exchange, in adherence with confidentiality and nondisclosure
requirements, child-specific data for children who are deaf,
hard of hearing, or DeafBlind only in order to support
children and their families and assist in the transition and
continuity of care and for the purposes of this Act.
(d) Except in cases of willful or wanton misconduct, no
health care provider, hospital, or medical facility acting in
compliance with this Section is civilly or criminally liable
for any act performed in compliance with this Section,
including furnishing information required under this Section.

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Section 90. Rulemaking. The Department of Human Services,
in consultation with the Illinois School for the Deaf, the
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Department of Early
Childhood, the State Board of Education, and the Department of
Public Health, may adopt any rules necessary to implement this
Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.".