National Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Act of 1988
Public Law 100-553 · S. 1727 · 100th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 28, 1988 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Cosponsors (14): Sen. Paul Simon, Sen. Daniel Inouye,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
National Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Act of 1988 - Amends title IV (National Research Institutes) of the Public Health Service Act to establish the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (Institute) as an agency of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Removes communicative disorders from the title and purpose of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke.
Requires the Director of the Institute, with the advice of the Institute's advisory council, to establish a National Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Program (Program). Requires the Director to prepare and transmit to the Director of NIH a plan to initiate, expand, intensify, and coordinate activities of the Institute respecting disorders of hearing, balance, voice, speech, language, taste, and smell. Describes the minimum activities of the Program.
Requires the Director to establish a National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Data System for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of data and a National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Information Clearinghouse.
Requires the Director, after consultation with the advisory council, to provide for the development, modernization, and operation of new and existing centers for studies of disorders of hearing and other communication processes.
Sets forth requirements for the centers, including conducting research and training programs and information and continuing education programs for health professionals, and public information programs. Authorizes centers to provide stipends for health professionals in their training programs. Describes other programs the centers may undertake. Requires the Director to provide for an equitable geographical distribution of centers and to give appropriate consideration to the need for centers for the elderly and for children. Limits support of a center to seven years, with one or more additional periods of not more than five years, if recommended by a peer review group established by the Director, with the advice of the advisory council.
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish in the Institute the National Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Advisory Board to review, evaluate, update, and give advice regarding the Institute's activities plan. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Advisory Board to be established not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act.
Authorizes the Secretary to establish the Deafness and Other Communications Disorders Interagency Coordinating Committee to coordinate, with respect to deafness and other communication disorders, the activities of the national research institutes and all Federal health programs.
Sets forth transitional and savings provisions.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 9 actions.
- Oct 28, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-553.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 20, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 13, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Oct 7, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Sep 29, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.