House Passes Bill to Insure 10 Million Children


PRESS RELEASE   
For Immediate Release, October 25, 2007                    

Contact:
Joanna VanderWoude, Media Relations Associate
219.644.8216, jvanderwoude@povertylaw.org
   

House Passes Bill to Insure 10 Million Children

Shriver Center Thanks New Supporters


Today the House of Representatives voted to pass the revised Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA).  This is a veto-proof majority.  The bill makes key changes to an earlier version of the bill that Congress passed with large majorities and the President recently vetoed.  The revised legislation still results in the coverage of 10 million children and still invests $35 billion in CHIP reauthorization.

The Shriver Center thanks Representatives Biggert, Johnson and Shimkus for supporting the new legislation after having voted against the earlier bill and veto override.  Representatives Hastert, Roskam, Weller and Manzullo were the only Illinois legislators to oppose the revised bill.

 “This is tremendous news for uninsured children in working families everywhere,” said John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center On Poverty Law.  “It is also good news for Illinois, which would receive substantial new federal support to help sustain its All Kids program, which is already insuring all children in Illinois.” 

The revisions to the bill include encouragement to states to prioritize enrollment of lower income children, limitations on the ability of states to insure higher income parents through this program, prevention of coverage of non-parenting adults, and clarifications of the citizenship requirements.  The Senate is expected to pass the bill with a veto-proof majority, just as it passed the earlier bill.

“We urge the Senate to pass this bill, and President Bush to sign it promptly,” said Bouman.  “This is a deeply needed and highly popular step on the road to covering all children.  When 100% of our nation’s children have health care coverage, then children from every background and every part of America will have access to the care they need to ensure a healthy start in life.”



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The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, a national resource, champions law and policy promoting equal opportunity and support for low-income individuals, families, and communities so that they can escape poverty permanently.