An act TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "AUDIOLOGY" 10 RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF AUDIOLOGISTS, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas           As Engrossed: H3/17/25
2 95th General Assembly
                                    A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                          SENATE BILL 118

4

5 By: Senator C. Penzo

6 By: Representative Bentley

7

8                             For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "AUDIOLOGY"

10  RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF AUDIOLOGISTS; AND FOR

11  OTHER PURPOSES.

12

13

14                                      Subtitle

15                       TO AMEND THE DEFINITION OF "AUDIOLOGY"

16                       RELATING TO THE PRACTICE OF

17                       AUDIOLOGISTS.

18

19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

20

21  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 17-100-103(2), concerning the definition of

22 "audiology", is amended to read as follows:

23  (2)(A) "Audiology" means the application of principles, methods,

24 and procedures of measurement, testing, evaluation, prediction, consultation,

25 counseling, instruction, habilitation, or rehabilitation related to hearing

26 and balance disorders of the auditory system for the purpose of evaluating,

27 identifying, preventing, ameliorating, or modifying such disorders and

28 conditions in individuals and groups of individuals, including:

29                            (i) Evaluating, diagnosing, managing, and treating

30 auditory or vestibular conditions in the human ear;

31                            (ii) Prescribing, ordering, selling, dispensing, or

32 fitting hearing aids to an individual for the correction or relief of a

33 condition for which hearing aids are worn; and

34                            (iii) Prescribing, ordering, selling, dispensing, or

35 externally fitting a sound processor to:

36                            (a) An osseointegrated device for the

    *JMB092*                                                     03-17-2025 12:20:09 JMB092
    As Engrossed: H3/17/25                                                  SB118

1 correction or relief of a condition for which osseointegrated devices are

2 worn; or

3                            (b) A cochlear implant for the correction or

4 relief of a condition for which cochlear implants are worn.

5                     (B) "Audiology" includes:

6                           (i) Conducting health screenings;

7                           (ii) Removing a foreign body or cerumen from the

8 external auditory canal;

9                           (iii) Ordering but not interpreting cultures and

10 bloodwork testing solely as relating to the auditory or vestibular conditions

11 in the human ear;

12                          (iv) Ordering and performing in-office

13 nonradiographic testing of the external auditory canal solely for the

14 evaluation of hearing and balance disorders; and

15                          (v) Ordering but not interpreting radiographic

16 imaging solely as relating to the auditory or vestibular conditions in the

17 human ear.

18                    (C) "Audiology" does not include:

19                          (i) Surgery using an instrument, including a laser,

20 scalpel, needle, cautery, cryoprobe, or suture, in which human tissue is cut,

21 burned, vaporized, removed, or otherwise permanently altered by mechanical

22 means, laser, ionizing radiation, ultrasound, or other means;

23                          (ii) Osseointegrated device surgery;

24                          (iii) Cochlear implant surgery;

25                          (iv) The preparation, operation, or performance of

26 radiographic imaging; or

27                          (v) The use or interpretation of cultures, bloodwork

28 testing, or radiographic imaging to diagnose or treat;

29

30  SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 17-100-103, concerning definitions relating

31 to speech-language pathologists and audiologists, is amended to add an

32 additional subdivision to read as follows:

33             (9) "Sound processor" means a nonsurgical, external unit that

34 attaches to an internal osseointegrated device or cochlear implant.

35

36                           /s/C. Penzo

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