[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 56 (Thursday, April 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT ACT AND THE CHILDREN'S 
                     DENTAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT ACT

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I want to make a very short comment on 
two measures that comprise a basic cornerstone for the efforts that I 
made to ensure that the fundamental needs of children in my State of 
New Mexico and throughout the country are met.
  The basic idea here is that children have to have, if they are going 
to grow into full and honorable adulthood, access to quality, 
affordable health care. A child who is sick cannot go to school, and 
cannot be expected to learn in school, and cannot be expected to grow 
up and thrive and go on to be a productive citizen. In New Mexico, we 
have a particularly compelling case because the Children's Defense 
Fund, this last year, identified our State as having a higher number of 
uninsured children than any other State in the Union--uninsured for 
health care insurance. Consequently, I have two measures that try to 
address this need.
  The first deals with a problem that has sadly become an epidemic in 
New Mexico; it is the Youth Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act. This is designed to increase access to drug prevention and 
treatment services for young people in the country.
  Second is the Children's Dental Health Improvement Act, which is 
designed to increase access to dental services for young people, 
particularly young people who are eligible to participate in Medicaid.
  Mr. President, I will be introducing both of those bills and I 
commend them to my colleagues. I hope they will also get a full hearing 
this Congress and that we can enact them into law and send them to the 
President as well.
  Mr. GRAHAM addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida is recognized.

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