[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PUT FACES ON DIVERSITY AND CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is important this morning 
to put the face on several things that have occurred in this country 
that I think give us both a negative image and reputation, the face on 
Hopwood and the overturning of the very appropriate decision by the 
district court was to find 40 to 50 percent decline in minority 
students going to our institutions of higher learning across this 
Nation. The district court was right, the circuit court is wrong. We 
need opportunity and diversity in this country.
  Then on the health care issue dealing with our children, let us put a 
face on health care for our children. Ten million children uninsured, 
an 11-year-old with asthma not being able to get health insurance. 
Seventy percent of those are working families making less than $500 a 
week, making $17,000 to $29,000 a year, working hard every day and not 
being able to insure their children, not being able to let children 
play in Little League or cheerleaders because they are fearful that 
they will get some sort of deadly illness that the working parent 
cannot pay for.
  This is a crime and a crisis. Put the faces on diversity, put the 
faces on children's health insurance. Let us do something positive in 
this Congress. Let us applaud and affirm diversity and let us make sure 
our children are insured.

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