Banks, Kim introduce stuttering legislation with backing of former NBA player

Senate Banks, Kim introduce stuttering legislation with backing of former NBA player Comments: by Max Rego - 07/29/26 11:36 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 07/29/26 11:36 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that attempts to improve identification and treatment for children who stutter, with an assist from former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

The legislation, titled the Kidd’s Stuttering Act, proposes directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to add stuttering and fluency screening measures to its core set of pediatric health quality measures by 2028.

It also proposes requiring children ages two through six to undergo screening for childhood-onset fluency disorders, including stuttering, during Medicaid well-child visits starting in 2029.

The legislation would additionally require Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover speech therapy services at the same level, at minimum, as the programs cover treatment for other speech fluency disorders by 2029. As of March, more than 35.5 million children were enrolled in either Medicaid or CHIP, according to CMS.

“No child should fall behind because a treatable speech disorder goes undiagnosed,” Banks said in a statement. “This bipartisan bill will help more children find their voices and reach their full potential.”

Roughly 5 percent of children go through a period of stuttering lasting at least six months, while 1 percent have a long-term problem, according to The Stuttering Foundation.

Kidd-Gilchrist, an eight-year NBA veteran who played for the Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks, is among the 1 percent. The 32-year-old told The Hill he has dealt with a stutter for his “whole life,” which convinced him to advocate for increased coverage.

“I was always picked on and such like that… as a player, and as far as how I talk,” Kidd-Gilchrist said over the phone. “… And I think.. in 2021… it was a point where.. I had even seen an opportunity to just advocate for myself, for one.”

He later added, “I didn’t know it would… even lead to a bill.”

Kidd-Gilchrist’s efforts have led to four states –– Illinois, Kentucky, Nevada and Pennsylvania –– to enact laws that cover speech therapy. Lawmakers in Tennessee also enacted legislation earlier this year to allow those who stutter to note their condition in the state’s vehicle registration database so law enforcement officers are aware they may have trouble communicating during traffic stops.

Kentucky’s new law, which requires insurers operating in the state to cover speech therapy services for stuttering, is particularly personal for Kidd-Gilchrist — who spent his lone collegiate season at the University of Kentucky.

While there, Kidd-Gilchrist teamed up with future NBA All-Star Anthony Davis to lead the Wildcats to a 38-2 season and the program’s eighth national title. Kidd-Gilchrist was then the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Hornets, then the Charlotte Bobcats, and averaged 8.4 points across eight seasons in the association.

But after the New York Knicks signed Kidd-Gilchrist ahead of what would have been his ninth year in the NBA, the team waived him just three weeks later. That spurred him into action on the policy side.

“It was a dark space at times, it was a lonely space at times,” Kidd-Gilchrist said of growing up with a stutter. “And… even in my position as an athlete, I was the only one who had a stutter.”

“I might have a championship in college, but… I was in the dark for so long because socially it’s hard. … It’s hard to be accepted.”

Kim, who represents Kidd-Gilchrist’s home state of New Jersey, praised his constituent’s efforts on Wednesday. The Garden State Democrat said the former NBA player’s advocacy on behalf of children who stutter has “moved” him.

“Our kids are looking to us to be their voice in Congress — let’s show up for them with this bill and get them the care they need for lifelong success,” Kim added in a statement.

Over in the House, Reps. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.) and Addison McDowell (R-N.C.) introduced their version of the Kidd’s Stuttering Act in December, with nine Democrats and nine Republicans co-sponsoring the legislation since.

The lower chamber referred the bill to the Energy and Commerce Committee at the time, but lawmakers on the panel have not taken further action. Kidd-Gilchrist, though, was “hopeful” the legislation will eventually become law.

“I got five bills passed… at the state level… in probably two years,” he noted. “… I know that this will pass.”

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