Platts and Fattah Call for White House Conference on Children and Youth

Lawmakers introduce bill to put the needs of children high on the new Administration's agenda

Washington, DC – America’s children will be the beneficiaries of a bipartisan effort to raise the level of awareness regarding the basic needs of young people.  Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Congressman Todd Platts (R-PA) introduced legislation today to reestablish a White House Conference on Children and Youth.

The conference was established almost 90 years ago by President Theodore Roosevelt to strategize for the well-being of the country's youth. Although Congress continues to reauthorize and fund the conference, it’s been almost 40 years since the last one was held.

Critical issues such as healthcare and education must be a priority as we look to improve the life chances of our nation’s most vulnerable. Statistics from the Child Welfare League of America show that nationwide, more than 12 million children live in poverty.  Almost 9 million children are without healthcare and it is estimated close to 900,000  have been abused or neglected.

The legislation introduced by Fattah and Platts would authorize a conference to be held in 2010 to focus on child welfare issues.  The lawmakers are confident that just as previous conferences have led to major policy improvements on behalf of children this conference will do the same.

Congressman Fattah said, “Children are our national treasure and it’s time that we renew our commitment to them. As leaders, it’s our job to make sure their basic needs are met and their life chances are advanced.”

"It has been proven time and again that addressing the health and education needs of children during the earliest years of their lives builds their emotional and physical development and improves the economic productivity of our society over the long-term," said Congressman Platts.  "By reconvening the White House Conference on Children and Youth, we can ensure that the federal government is offering the most effective programs to help America's children excel in all aspects of their lives."

Fattah and Platts say prospects for a 2010 Conference are bright. An earlier version of this bill was supported in the 110th Congress by then Senator Barack Obama.