[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CHILDREN'S NATIONAL SECURITY ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Furse] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow I am introducing a very important 
piece of legislation, and I am joined by 14 of my Democratic women 
colleagues. This legislation is called the Children's National Security 
Act, and I want to spend a few minutes this evening telling my 
colleagues about it.
  I am sure we all remember the phrase, women and children first. Well, 
sometimes I think that we have forgotten that phrase and we think only 
of children last.
  I just got a recent report of the state of America, and our 
priorities and children do not do very well in that. We are first in 
military technology, we are first in defense expenditures, but we were 
18th in infant mortality, 17th in low birth weight rates, and we are 
very last in protecting our children against gun violence. In fact, of 
the 26 industrialized nations, the deaths of U.S. children account for 
three out of four from gun violence out of all 27 nations.
  So my bill is a conglomeration of lots of very good pieces of 
legislation. It is about priorities and funding what is really 
important to our Nation's families.
  President Clinton said in his State of the Union Address this year, 
education is a critical national security issue for our future. The 
problem is that his budget request called for $234 million more for the 
military than it does for education.
  In the bipartisan budget agreement adopted by the House, over half of 
our discretionary spending for the next 5 years, in fact, 52 percent 
will go to the Pentagon. That means that everything else must be 
divided up of the 48 percent. Fifteen Democratic women Members have 
joined together and we have submitted 24 pieces of legislation in this 
omnibus bill. The Children's National Security Act is deficit-neutral, 
it is funded with savings from the Pentagon.
  Among the initiatives included are health insurance for kids, health 
care research and education, assistance for caregivers, multi-
generational foster care, firearm child safety lock requirements, 
school construction, and increasing economic security for families.
  The gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Hooley] has contributed legislation 
to promote multi-generational foster care. That is building on 
something we do in Oregon very successfully. The gentlewoman from 
California [Ms. Millender-McDonald] has included the Firearm Child 
Safety Lock Act. This is an act which says that the child safety lock 
must be placed on guns sold in America.
  The gentlewoman from New York [Mrs. Lowey] has included the 
partnership to rebuild America's schools. One time, Mr. Chairman, the 
schools of America were the pride of America, but they are crumbling 
today. The General Accounting Office has estimated we need $112 billion 
to repair them.

                              {time}  1730

  My contribution to the bill is a private insurance reform legislation 
called Kids Only. It will require that insurance companies provide an 
affordable policy to cover children from birth to age 16. These are 
available in Oregon, and they should be available across the Nation.
  I believe it is time to change the focus of our priorities, to 
reflect that national security means providing children a quality 
education, access to health care, and a safe place to live and learn. 
We cannot continue to invest in outdated Cold War weapons systems while 
we neglect our children.
  Our bill will improve the lives of America's children. It provides 
real national security by addressing our children's critical needs. 
There is wide agreement now that we must balance the Federal budget, 
but as we balance it, we must make tough fiscal choices. The National 
Children's Security Act is about priorities, funding what is truly 
important to our Nation's families.
  As Congress makes those tough fiscal decisions necessary to balance 
the budget, we must consider our real national security, our children. 
The Democratic women in the House of Representatives have joined 
together to provide for children's access: Access to health care, a 
safe environment, a quality education. The Children's National Security 
Act puts our children first, and that, Mr. Speaker, is exactly where 
they belong.

                          ____________________