language acquisition grant program

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary defines 'Hard of hearing' using a specific decibel range (greater than 40dB PTA-2 but less than 85dB PTA-2), which was not included in the candidate's definitions.

Language Acquisition Grant Program

This bill creates a grant program to fund listening and spoken language services for eligible infants and toddlers in Arizona who are deaf or hard of hearing.

What This Bill Does

• Establishes the Language Acquisition Grant Program using money approved by the state Legislature.
• Requires the Department of Economic Security (DES) to manage the program by contracting with service providers.
• Funds auditory verbal services for eligible infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing through Arizona Early Intervention Programs and Services (AzEIP).
• Mandates that therapists or certified educators must provide or oversee these services in a natural environment, clinical setting, educational setting, or virtually.
• Requires AzEIP to refer families with affected children to both the new grant program providers for listening and spoken language services and the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind.

Who It Names or Affects

• Infants and toddlers eligible for Arizona Early Intervention Programs and Services (AzEIP) who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Families with children identified as having these specific hearing conditions.
• Listening and spoken language providers in Arizona that contract with the state to provide auditory verbal services.
• The Department of Economic Security, which administers the program.

Terms To Know

Auditory verbal services

Therapy focused on helping children develop listening and spoken language skills using their hearing ability or devices.

Arizona Early Intervention Programs and Services (AzEIP)

A state program that provides screening and intervention services for children ages 0 to 3 with developmental delays or disabilities.

Deaf

Defined in the bill as a person who cannot generally understand speech sounds with or without a hearing aid when in optimal listening conditions.

Limits and Unknowns

• The amount of money available depends on future decisions by the Legislature to appropriate funds.
• Specific rules and procedures for how providers are chosen have not been written yet; DES must create them later.
• The bill does not state a start date or effective date for when these services will begin.

Official Summary Text

HB2188 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

House:
HHS DPA/SE 12-0-0-0 | Third Read 43-9-7-0-1

HB
2188
: language acquisition grant program

S/E:
program; language acquisition grant

Sponsor:
Representative Willoughby, LD 13

House
Engrossed

Overview

Establishes
the Language Acquisition Grant Program (Grant Program) to provide grants to
listening and spoken language providers that provide services to Arizona Early Intervention
Programs and Services (AzEIP) eligible infants and toddlers who are deaf or
hard of hearing. �

History

AzEIP
provides screening and
intervention services for children ages 0 to 3 with developmental delays or
disabilities. The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) receives a
capped allotment of Federal Funds for the program through Part C of the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Deaf
is defined as a person who
cannot generally understand speech sounds with or without a hearing aid when in
optimal listening conditions.
Hard of hearing
is a person who has a degree
of hearing loss greater than 40dB PTA-2, but less than 85dB PTA-2, in the
better ear (
A.R.S.
�
36-1941
).

The Arizona State
Schools for the Deaf and Blind (ASDB) serves over 2,000 children from birth to
age 22 who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, multisensory
disabled or deafblind. ASDB operates two schools for the deaf, one school for
the blind, a statewide birth-to-three early childhood and family education
program and five regional cooperatives (
ASDB
).

Provisions

1.

Establishes
the Grant Program consisting of monies appropriated by the Legislature to
provide grants to listening and spoken language providers that provide auditory
verbal services to AzEIP eligible infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of
hearing. (Sec. 1)

2.

Subjects
monies in the fund to legislative appropriation. (Sec. 1)

3.

Requires DES
to administer the Grant Program by contracting with eligible providers. (Sec.
1)

4.

Permits DES
to adopt rules, policies and procedures to carry out the purposes of the Grant
Program. (Sec. 1)

5.

Requires DES
to contract with listening and spoken language providers in Arizona to provide auditory
verbal services to AzEIP eligible families with infants and toddlers who are deaf
or hard of hearing. (Sec. 1)

6.

Requires
contractors ensure that the provided auditory verbal therapies are administered
or overseen by a certified educator or therapist in a natural environment,
clinical setting, educational setting or virtually. (Sec. 1)

7.

Requires
AzEIP to refer eligible families with children who are identified as dead or
hard of hearing to both of the following, at a minimum:

a.

qualified providers within the Grant
Program for listening and spoken language auditory verbal services; and

b.

ASDB for visual language
education through American Sign Language and any other modalities of
communication available. (Sec. 1)

c.

d.

e.

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f.

Initials
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g.

2/2/2026��������� Page
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Current Bill Text

HB2188 - 572R - H Ver

House Engrossed

language
acquisition grant program

(now: program;
language acquisition grant)

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HOUSE BILL 2188

AN
ACT

Amending title 41, chapter 14, article 5,
Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 41-2023; relating to early
intervention programs.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section
1.
1. Title
41, chapter 14, article 5, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding
section 41-2023, to read:

START_STATUTE
41-2023.

Language acquisition grant program

A. THE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION GRANT
PROGRAM IS ESTABLISHED CONSISTING OF MONIES APPROPRIATED BY THE LEGISLATURE TO
PROVIDE GRANTS TO LISTENING AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE PROVIDERS that PROVIDE
auditory verbal SERVICES TO EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMs and services
ELIGIBLE INFANTS AND TODDLERS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING.� MONIES IN THE
FUND ARE SUBJECT TO LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATION. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
ADMINISTER THE GRANT PROGRAM BY CONTRACTING WITH ELIGIBLE PROVIDERS AND MAY
ADOPT RULES, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES TO CARRY OUT THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION.

B. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CONTRACT WITH
LISTENING AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE PROVIDERS IN THIS STATE TO PROVIDE
auditory verbal SERVICES TO EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMs and services
ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WITH INFANTS AND TODDLERS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF
HEARING. CONTRACTORS SHALL ENSURE THAT THE PROVIDED
auditory verbal services ARE ADMINISTERED BY OR OVERSEEN BY A
CERTIFIED EDUCATOR OR THERAPIST IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, CLINICAL SETTING,
EDUCATIONAL SETTING OR VIRTUALLY.

C. THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMs
and services SHALL REFER ELIGIBLE FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AS
DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING TO BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING, AT A MINIMUM:

1. QUALIFIED PROVIDERS WITHIN THE
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM FOR LISTENING AND SPOKEN LANGUAGE
auditory verbal SERVICES.

2. THE ARIZONA STATE SCHOOLS FOR THE
DEAF AND THE BLIND
for visual language education through
american sign language AND ANY OTHER
modalities OF
communication available.
END_STATUTE