Legislative Priorities Addressing the Needs of Young Children in the 110th Congress
The National Summit on America’s Children, convened by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is part of the 110th Congress’ long-term commitment to provide a better life for America’s children and more prosperous future for our nation. Democrats are committed to integrating the best scientific research and the best statistical data on early childhood development into federal policy to ensure that every child has the strongest start possible. We will set a new direction for the next generation by prioritizing the following policy initiatives:
EARLY LEARNING
Head Start Reauthorization. On May 2, the House passed one of the top priorities of the new Democratic-led Congress, H.R. 1429, a bill to expand and improve the successful Head Start early childhood program, by a bipartisan vote of 365 to 48. The Senate is expected to pass a similar bill in the next few weeks. Head Start has served our most vulnerable children and families extremely well for 42 years, and more recently, Early Head Start has done the same for infants and toddlers. The bill improves classroom and teacher quality, raising teacher qualifications and increasing funding for teacher and staff salaries and professional development. It also expands access to Head Start, providing funding for 10,000 additional children, with a priority on expanding Early Head Start, which serves children ages birth through 3. It also requires Head Start to use the best science on early childhood development to ensure more children reach kindergarten ready to succeed.
Quality of Early Childhood Workforce. Teacher quality is the single most important factor in the quality of early learning programs. We must do more to attract and retain skilled early childhood education providers in child care, Head Start, and preschool programs. The Congress will reauthorize the Higher Education Act this year. One of the key provisions of this landmark bill will improve the training of early education teachers. The Democratic-led Congress will also look at additional ways to improve the training and compensation of teachers in preschool programs.
Child Care. Finding affordable, quality child care is a critically important issue for millions of America’s families and can be an enormous challenge. The Democratic-led Congress will evaluate the status of child care and early learning programs and examine ways to expand access to quality child care for America’s families.
HEALTH AND MENTAL HEALTH
Health Care Coverage for America’s Children. One of the top priorities of the new Democratic-led Congress is to significantly expand health care coverage for America’s children, as the Congress reauthorizes the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Today, nine million children, 12 percent of all the children in the U.S., lack health coverage. Six million of them are eligible for SCHIP or Medicaid, but are not enrolled. Various proposals for expanding health care coverage for children are being considered. For example, the Children’s Health First Act (H.R. 1535/S. 895) would provide affordable access to quality health care for all children. It would give states the tools and resources to find and enroll the six million children who qualify for health coverage today, but are not enrolled, including giving states incentives to expand existing state coverage under SCHIP. In addition, the bill would provide new incentives to shore up employer-sponsored coverage of children.
Coverage for Children’s Dental Care. Dental care is critical to the overall health of our children. By simply visiting the dentist before their first birthday, low-income children reduce their average dental-related costs by almost 40 percent over a five-year period. These children are less likely to require subsequent restorative or emergency room visits. Dental problems are to blame for more than 850,000 missed school days and therefore affect the ability of children and schools to succeed. Various proposals for expanding the access of children to dental care are being considered. For example, the Children’s Dental Health Improvement Act (H.R. 1781/S. 739) would establish a federal guarantee for dental coverage for children covered under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Schoolchildren with Disabilities. For millions of American children, schools are a key link to critical health care. For low-income children with special needs, Medicaid covers therapies and other care that enables these children to learn in school with their peers. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has put forward a proposal to stop reimbursing school districts for billions of dollars in Medicaid spending that is used to cover the cost of health-related services received by Medicaid-eligible schoolchildren with disabilities. As a result, Congress will be considering a bill (H.R. 1017/S. 578) that outlines a clear path to ensure that schoolchildren with disabilities will continue to receive the health services they need to stay in school.
Genetic Non-Discrimination. On April 25, the House passed one of the top priorities of the new Democratic-led Congress, H.R. 493, Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, by a bipartisan vote of 420 to 3. This bill prohibits employers and health insurers from discriminating against children and adults based on their genetic information. As scientists and researchers break new ground each day to identify genetic traits and develop tests to detect and prevent genetically-based illnesses, children and adults must feel free to undergo genetic testing. Numerous surveys have shown that individuals fear taking such tests for fear of losing their jobs and family health benefits. This legislation will help American families to live healthier and safer lives.
Environmental Health Hazards for Children. Numerous studies have shown that it is often low-income and minority communities, including families with young children, who are bearing the brunt of the nation’s pollution problems. For decades, industrial zones, refineries, and power plants have jeopardized the health of low-income and minority communities. A legislative priority of the 110th Congress is enacting the Environmental Justice Act (H.R. 1103/S. 642), which would require that all federal agencies and programs take steps to better ensure environmental protection for all of our communities, including our most vulnerable communities.
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act Reauthorization. The Congress will reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act in 2007. This Act, first enacted in 1974, is focused on preventing juvenile delinquency, working to rehabilitate juvenile offenders, and providing guidelines to the juvenile court system, including courts dealing with child welfare cases. In reauthorizing the statute this year, Congress will be examining the most successful, innovative strategies for improving court systems to strengthen and stabilize families and create better outcomes for children and families.
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Reauthorization. The Congress will be reauthorizing the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in 2008. This Act, first enacted in 1974, authorizes grants to states to: assist with child protective service functions; fund research and development projects related to child abuse and neglect; improve investigation and prosecution of child maltreatment; and encourage community-based family resource and support services. In reauthorizing the statute in 2008, Congress will be examining scientific research and best practices around the country for preventing child abuse and neglect and treating the victims of child abuse and neglect.
Mental Health Parity. A key step in ensuring that children get off to a healthy, nurturing good start in life is to ensure that they have access to quality mental health services. Having access to quality mental health services as a young child can prevent much more serious mental illnesses later on. The Mental Health Parity Act, H.R. 1424, requires group health plans that offer benefits for mental health and addiction to do so on the same terms as care for other diseases.
FAMILY AND INCOME SUPPORT
Work and Family Supports that Benefit Children. The 110th Congress will consider a number of legislative proposals to enable working families to be both good workers and good parents. Legislation has been introduced to provide a minimum number of sick days to workers, paid family leave, flexible work schedules, child care supports, and equal pay for women. These initiatives are critical to today’s families. Innumerable workers have lost their jobs or vital income because of inadequate child care, sick children, or lack of pay equity. It is time that Congress recognize the needs of a changing workforce – one in which both parents often work – and ensure that working parents can both raise their children and do their job.
Food Stamps. Young children without proper nutrition are at far greater risk of poor health, hospitalization, anemia, and cognitive development delays. By investing in the food stamp program, we can invest in better health for the more than 13 million monthly food stamp recipients who are children. In reauthorizing the Farm Bill this year, Congress will examine possible improvements to the food stamp program.
Leave Time for Military Families. On May 16, in passing H.R. 1585, the FY 2008 Defense Authorization Act, the House adopted critical provisions that are designed to ease the burden on military families struggling to balance new responsibilities brought on by deployment of a spouse to Iraq or Afghanistan. These provisions allow military families to use the Family and Medical Leave Act to deal with issues arising as a result of a spouse’s deployment. Under current law, workers are only permitted to use that time for family illnesses or births. With a deployment, a two-parent household suddenly becomes a one-parent household. One parent is left alone to deal with the challenges of managing a household, caring for children, and navigating the stress that arises from having a loved one in harm’s way. In times like these, these military families urgently need all the support we can give them.
Child Support Enforcement. One of the priorities of the 110th Congress is to address the significant cut in federal funding for child support enforcement that was enacted in the last Congress. More than 16 million children rely on the child support program. Under the Republican-drafted law enacted last year, the families of these more than 16 million children will be receiving $11 billion less in child support payments over the next 10 years – condemning more children to poverty.
Child Tax Credit. The child tax credit fails to fully cover 20 million children in working families who earn too little to get the full tax credit. Of those affected, seven million get no credit at all. The Congress is determined to address this problem – examining ways to expand the number of low-income families receiving the benefit of the credit.
Child Welfare and Foster Care. This year, Congress will be considering possible steps that can be taken to improve our child welfare and foster care system. Approximately 3.6 million children were the subject of child abuse and neglect investigations in 2005. Furthermore, in that same year, over a half million children were in the foster care system on any given day. Infants and toddlers are the fastest growing age group of children entering foster care and the most vulnerable to the effects of maltreatment. Congress will examine ways to improve the outcomes for children in the child welfare system by studying such steps as how to improve the level of services provided to children and families and improve the recruitment and retention of caseworkers.
Affordable Housing Fund. A key issue for families with children is access to affordable housing. For young children to get a good start in life, in addition to access to health care and nutrition, they need decent, safe, affordable housing. On May 22, the House is expected to pass H.R. 1427, the GSE Reform/Affordable Housing Fund bill. This bill strengthens oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; it also creates an Affordable Housing Fund, to be financed by required contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This fund will dedicate about $450 million per year for five years to promote affordable housing for low-income homeowners and renters. In the first year, the entire fund would go to the Katrina-stricken areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Gulf Coast Housing Recovery. The House has also passed another bill that will help families with children obtain access to affordable housing. Nearly two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, tens of thousands of families with children are still struggling without decent housing. On March 21, the House passed H.R. 1227, Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act, comprehensive legislation that includes a long-term extension of housing assistance to tens of thousands of evacuees who were otherwise scheduled to have their rental assistance cut off by the Administration in September. Just a few weeks ago, in response to this bill, the Administration announced it would extend rental assistance for an additional 18 months. The bill also included a number of provisions to encourage the rebuilding of affordable rental housing in the Gulf, and to provide a right of return for families who want to come back and live in federally-assisted affordable housing.