Whether it's the Macarena or any other song, baby Lauren and her sister love to dance and love to listen. But about a year ago, their mother, Suzanne Rust, wasn't sure if Lauren was hearing well at all.

"I did notice she didn't startle at the vacuum, but when I would talk to her, she would smile and coo and do all the appropriate things," Suzanne Rust said.

Rust says, however, they got Lauren tested and found she had hearing loss. After that, they tried to get help.

"I didn't feel fortunate at first but we were so lucky," Rust said. "She's been aided since three months and it was three months of hard work to nail down that she had a hearing loss."

It's because of this hard work that the Rust family is now supporting House Bill 109. The bill is aimed at screening newborns for hearing loss before they leave the hospital or shortly after they get out.

Lisa Owens is also a supporter of the bill. She's a speech pathologist and audiologist.

"We don't have any laws in place that require hearing testing and, at this time, the typical age for identification with a child is between 18 months and 24 months. So we're missing about almost two years of critical language development," said Owens of the Alaska Speech and Hearing Clinic.

And that's what Esther Robinson says happened with her 23-year-old granddaughter Nicole Jones. Jones was already three when the family found out she was deaf. Robinson says newborn screening would have helped.

"Because if that would have happened when she was born, then a lot of frustration, a lot of anger and a lot of lack of education could have been prevented," Robinson said.

Today, Nicole Jones knows sign language, but she is still learning to communicate well. Overall, her grandmother says Nicole is blossoming -- thanks to some individual attention. She's coming to the Alaska Speech and Hearing Clinic on a weekly basis.

At the Rust home, it's time for some rest after the electric slide. It’s music Lauren can listen to because, according to her parents, of early intervention.

In addition to the screening, the bill will also help with tracking families and developing an intervention program. House Bill 109 is sponsored by Rep. Jay Ramras. The bill will be heard in the House Finance Committee next week.

By Joy Mapaye