One issue that Walsh
worked on throughout his time in Congress was on newborn and infant hearing
screening. This was an issue he tackled from 1991 to 2008. The bills that he
sponsored on this issue dealt making screening of newborns and infants for
hearing loss universal in the country and providing funding to aid this process.
A couple of the bills he introduced were the Hearing Loss Testing Act of 1991
and the Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and Intervention Act of 1999.
Walsh repeatedly introduced bills in the House of Representatives.
They all focused on requiring screening and appropriating money for
screening. Many of the bills ended up stalled in committees or
incorporated into other pieces of legislation. Regardless, Walsh worked
year after year to help make widespread infant hearing screening a
reality. His work, especially on the Newborn and Infant Hearing
Screening and Intervention Act of 1999, led to states adopting measures
for requiring newborn hearing loss screening.
The Walsh collection contains 3 cubic feet of material located in
Series 7. Material included in this portion of the collection are bill
summaries, letters to and from co-sponsors, constituents and other
interested parties, background information on the topic, and items and
information presented at conferences and congressional hearings.
