HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3641        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2856

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Daniel J. Hunt

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to licensed professionals and the vision for children’s education.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3641        FILED ON: 1/20/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2856

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

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An Act relative to licensed professionals and the vision for children’s education.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 5 of chapter 112 of the general laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by at the end thereof, the following section:-

“Section 5O.  There shall be a working group, known as the Vision for Children’s Education working group, for the purpose of developing a cohesive multidisciplinary policy that shall be implemented by professionals licensed under chapter 112 of the general laws to reduce the number of children who fail to receive timely age-appropriate vision screening and referrals.  The working group shall be chaired by the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education, or his or her designee.  The board of early education and care, and the boards of registration in optometry, dispensing opticians, psychologists, medicine, nursing and allied mental health and human services professions shall each appoint one member to the working group.

The working group shall: (i) review the success of public schools in meeting the vision screenings requirements in section 57 of chapter 71; (ii) review the available data concerning the rate at which children diagnosed with vision impairments under section 57 of chapter 71 receive treatment for such impairments; (iii) review the available data concerning the rate at which those schools that do not fall under the vision screening requirements in section 57 of chapter 71 receive testing and treatment; (iv) identify childhood populations that do not receive vision screenings, either under chapter 71 or through some other health care provider; and (v) explore the impact of failing to receive vision screening and treatment with educational outcomes.

The working group shall develop policies that board of registration shall adopt to implement best practices for respective licensees to: (i) identify children who have failed to receive or pass the vision test required by section 57 of chapter 71 of the General Laws and (ii) ensure that children receive timely age-appropriate vision screening and referrals.

The working group shall file a final report containing its findings and recommendations with the house and senate clerks, the joint committee on consumer protection and professional licensure, the joint committee on education, and the department of elementary and secondary education not later than twelve months following the first meeting of the group, which shall occur not later than ninety days from the effective date of this act.