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A Vote For the Future of America' Children |
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Today I voted to pass the reauthorization of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide healthcare coverage to 11 million American children. This bipartisan bill preserves coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extends coverage to 4 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP and Medicaid.
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New Wilderness Protection for Oregon |
Three years ago we passed the first Mt. Hood wilderness bill in the House, and on Sunday the Senate invoked cloture on omnibus legislation containing four measures to expand wilderness in Oregon. It includes 127,000 acres of Wilderness and 79 miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers on Mt. Hood, the 13,700 acre area known as Copper Salmon, 30,000 acres for Oregon's Badlands, 23,000 acres in Soda Mountain, and 8,600 acres at Spring Basin.
Oregonians have been waiting a long time for this moment. I am extremely pleased that the Senate has succeeded in invoking cloture for wilderness legislation for Mt. Hood and other Oregon areas. I will urge my colleagues in the House to pass this package swiftly and send it to President-elect Obama for his signature."
My efforts to enact new Mt. Hood wilderness began in 2003 when we convened the first of a series of Mt. Hood Summits. In 2006, I partnered with the Oregon House delegation members to pass the Mt. Hood Stewardship Legacy Act, which was the first new Oregon wilderness expansion to pass either chamber of Congress in 20 years.
However, despite the Senate additions, Oregon still lags behind California and Washington when it comes to wilderness protection. There are many other places in Oregon that deserve special protection. I look forward to working with the rest of the Oregon delegation, including my new colleagues Sen. Merkley and Rep. Schrader, to see that we don't wait another 20 years to protect our state's natural beauty, and our children's environmental legacy.
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