[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 50 (Monday, April 29, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3501-S3502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CHILD CARE
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to share with my
colleagues a letter sent by almost 300 State legislators--Republican
and Democrat alike from 40 States--calling on Congress to add
substantial new funding for child care.
Just as parents have provided moving testimony to Congress about
their struggles to find and afford child care, these state legislators
join them in urging us to better fund child care to help families work
and children succeed in school. Unfortunately, the Child Care and
Development Block Grant (CCDBG), is currently serving only one out of
every seven eligible children. And any progress that States have made
in recent years is now being threatened by the challenging economic
situations that the States are confronting. I, along with Senators
Kerry and Torricelli, introduced the Children First Act of 2002, S.
2070, to help children, families and the states meet their child care
needs.
People in New Mexico recognize that accessible, quality child care is
a vital support for working families. Increased availability of child
care will help to ensure the success of welfare reform, while also
providing a critical support for parents earning low-incomes who are
struggling to support their families and stay off the welfare rolls.
State legislators see firsthand the integral role of child care in
helping families to work.
Quality child care also provides children with the early learning
experience they need to achieve in school. States have been strong
partners in the effort to improve public education across the nation.
We must help them to provide children with the experiences they need to
be ready to learn.
These State legislators, including 14 legislators from New Mexico,
today join the growing chorus of voices that we have heard from in
support of increased child care funding. I ask unanimous consent that
the text of their letter be printed in the Record.
The letter follows.
April 24, 2002
Re: Child Care
Hon. Jeff Bingaman,
U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, D.C.
Dear Senator Bingaman: Quality child care is one of the
most important investments we can make to help families to
work and children to enter school ready to learn. The
undersigned state legislators believe that substantial new
investments for child care must be a top federal priority.
Congress has a unique opportunity to address child care
this year. As you undertake the reauthorization of the Child
Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), we urge you to make
sufficient new investments to ensure that 2 million more
eligible children can receive assistance and that quality
improvements can be made. This additional funding would
approximately double the number of children currently getting
assistance while improving the quality of care. Now, just 1
in 7 eligible children are receiving this important
assistance.
This additional investment serves two critical purposes.
First, child care is an essential work support that will help
ensure the success of welfare reform. Working parents need
stable, affordable, and safe child care for their children in
order to get a job and stay employed. Parents who work in low
wage jobs struggle to find quality child care that they can
afford. State legislators see firsthand the critical value of
child care and its integral role in helping families to work.
Second, quality care provides children with the early
education experience they need to be ready for school and
success in later life. States have been strong partners in
the effort to improve the education of our children; we must
to provide them with the strongest foundation possible to
prepare them to be ready to learn and to succeed in school.
Substantial new funding for the CCDBG would help states
ensure that parents can work and children can have the
quality early learning experiences that help prepare them to
achieve in school. Now, as states struggle to overcome
difficult economic challenges, we hope that we can count on
your leadership in making additional investments in the
CCDBG. This investment is one we cannot afford NOT to make.
Sincerely,
Rep. Steven C. Adams (VT), Sen. Richard Alarcon (CA), Rep.
Elaine R. Alfano (VT), Rep. David Allaire (VT), Sen. Dede
Alpert (CA), Assm. Elaine Alquist (CA), Sen. Ellen Anderson
(MN), Sen. Jean Ankeney (VT), Assm. Dion Aroner (CA), Rep.
Kathy B. Ashe (GA), Rep. Loranne Ausley (FL), Rep. Catherine
Barrett (OH), Sen. Susan Bartlett (VT), Del. Viola O.
Baskerville (VA), Rep. Gail C. Beam (NM), Rep. Sharon
Beasley-Teague (GA), Sen. Mike Beebe (AR), Rep. Bernie Benn
(NH), Del. Joanne C. Benson (MD), Sen. Roseann Bentley (MO),
Rep. Connie Bernardy (MN), Rep. Cindy Beshear (UT), Rep. Anne
Betancourt (FL), Rep. Gary Biggs (AR), Sen. Mark Blade (IN),
Sen. Patricia Blevins (DE), Rep. Lynn Bohi (VT), Rep. David
Bolduc (VT), Rep. Johnnie Bolin (AR), Rep. John L. Bowman
(MO), Rep. Betty Boyd (CO), Assm. James F. Brennan (NY), Del.
Robert Brink (VA), Rep. Shane Broadway (AR), Rep. Tyrone
Brooks (GA), Sen. Lisa Brown (WA), Sen. Robert Brown (GA),
Sen. Brian Burke (WI), Del. Emmett C. Burns (MD), Rep. James
Buskey (AL), Sen. Gloria Butler (GA), Rep. Kenneth A. Carano
(OH), Rep. Karen R. Carter (LA), Assm. Gil Cedillo (CA).
Rep. Joseph Cervantes (NM), Rep. Duane Cheney (IN), Rep.
Marvin Childers (AR), Assm. Joan K. Christensen (NY), Assm.
Judy Chu (CA), Sen. J. Clement Cicilline (RI), Rep. Mary
Cirelli (OH), Rep. Irma Clark (MI), Rep. Carol C. Cleven
(MA), Sen. Eric Coleman (CT), Assm. Herb Conaway (NJ), Assm.
Jack Conners (NJ), Rep. Edward G. Connolly (MA), Rep. Olin
Cook (AR), Rep. Ken Cowling (AR), Rep. William Crawford (IN),
Del. Flora D. Crittenden (VA), Rep. George C. Cross (VT),
Rep. Judy B. Crowley (VT), Rep. LeRoy Dangeau (AR), Del. L.
Karen Darner (VA), Rep. Dan K. Darrow (VT), Rep. Don P. Davis
(VT), Rep. Lois DeBerry (TN), Rep. Michael DeBose (OH), Rep.
David L. Deen (VT), Rep. Johannah L. Donovan (VT), Rep.
Robert Dostis (VT), Rep. Patricia R. Doyle (VT), Rep. Carina
Driscoll (VT), Rep. Dawnna Dukes (TX), Assm. John Dutra (CA),
Rep. Dean Elliott (AR), Rep. Susan Emerson (NH), Rep. Alice
Emmons (VT), Sen. Martha Escutia (CA), Assm. Arthur O. Eve
(NY), Sen. Dede Feldman (NM), Sen. Joseph A. Fidel (NM), Sen.
Vivian Davis Figures (AL), Sen. Eric D. Fingerhut (OH), Rep.
Michael Fisher (VT), Rep. Mary E. Flowers (IL), Rep. John E.
Follett (VT).
Rep. Betty Folliard (MN), Rep. Johnny Ford (AR), Sen.
Vincent D. Fort (GA), Rep. Lois Frankel (FL), Sen. Rosa
Franklin (WA), Rep. George French (AR), Rep. John Fritchey
(IL), Rep. Anne Gannon (FL), Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (NM), Rep.
Dean George (VT), Rep. Avis L. Gervias (VT), Rep. Stanley J.
Gerzofsky (ME), Assm. Deborah J. Glick (NY), Rep. Cedric
Bradford Glover (LA), Rep. Pat Godchaux (MI), Assm. Jackie
Goldberg (CA), Sen. Avel Louise Gordly (OR), Rep. Maxine Grad
(VT), Assm. Aurelia Greene (NY), Rep. Jane Greimann (IA),
Rep. Peter Groff (CO), Sen. Mary Ann Handley (CT), Sen. Alice
V. Harden (MS), Sen. Toni Nathaniel Harp (CT), Sen. Ruth
Hassell-Thompson (NY), Rep. David Charles Hausam (AR), Assm.
Sally Havice (CA), Rep. Joe Hayes (AK), Sen. Robert L.
Hedlund (MA), Sen. Robert Hernandez (CO), Rep. Steve Hingtgen
(VT), Sen. Melvin ``Kip'' Holden (LA), Sen. Maxine Horner
(OK), Rep. Don House (AR), Del. James W. Hubbard (MD), Del.
Susan Hubbard (WV), Rep. Cola H. Hudson (VT), Sen. Vincent
Hughes (PA), Rep. Margaret Hummel (VT), Rep. Kay Iles (LA),
Sen. Paulette Irons (LA), Rep. Lei Ahu Isa (HI), Rep. Lydia
P. Jackson (LA), Rep. Gilda Jacobs (MI), Assm. Rhoda Jacobs
(NY), Rep. Pam Jochum (IA).
[[Page S3502]]
Assm. Susan V. John (NY), Sen. Emil Jones, Jr. (IL), Sen.
Paula F. Julander (UT), Rep. Bertha C. Kawakami (HI), Rep.
Helene M. Keeley (DE), Assm. Christine Kehoe (CA), Sen.
Delores G. Kelley (MD), Del. Ruth M. Kirk (MD), Rep. Warren
F. Kitzmiller (VT), Assm. David Koon (NY), Assm. Paul Koretz
(CA), Rep. Luanne Koskinen (MN), Sen. Liz Krueger (NY), Rep.
John LaBarge (VT), Assm. Ivan Lafayette (NY), Sen. Charles
Langford (AL), Rep. Leigh B. Larocque (VT), Rep. Mark Larson
(VT), Rep. Kathy Lavoie (VT), Sen. Alfred Lawson Jr. (FL),
Sen. Connie Lawson (IN), Rep. Rob Leighton (MN), Sen. Burton
Leland (MI), Rep. Bertha F. K. Leong (HI), Rep. Cindy Lerner
(FL), Rep. John M. Lewellen (AR), Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford
(IL), Rep. David Litvack (UT), Assm. Carol Liu (CA), Sen.
Linda M. Lopez (NM), Rep. James Roger Madalena (NM), Rep. Liz
Malia (MA), Assm. Virginia Strom Martin (CA), Rep. Bob Mathis
(AR), Assm. Naomi C. Matusow (NY), Sen. Nathaniel J. McFadden
(MD), Rep. Jack McGuire (IL), Rep. Mary Jo McGuire (MN), Rep.
Terry McMellon (AR), Assm. Carole Migden (AR), Rep. Rick
Miera (NM), Rep. Dale Miller (OH), Rep. Mark Miller (WI),
Assm. Joan L. Millman (NY), Sen. Richard Mitchell (FL), Rep.
Larry Molloy (VT).
Sen. Angela Monson (OK), Rep. Arthur A. Morrell (LA), Rep.
Mary A. Morrissey (VT), Rep. Kevin J. Mullin (VT), Rep.
Phyllis Mundy (PA), Rep. Pat Murphy (IA), Rep. Edwin R.
Murray (LA), Rep. Elliott Naishtat (TX), Del. Shirley Nathan-
Pulliam (MD), Rep. Wayne Nichols (AR), Rep. Alice W. Nitka
(VT), Assm. Catherine Nolan (NY), Rep. Michael J. Obuchowski
(VT), Rep. Pat O'Donnell (VT), Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer (NY),
Rep. Donny Osman (VT), Rep. Robert J. Otterman (OH), Assm.
Robert Pacheco (CA), Rep. Allen C. Palmer (VT), Rep. Laura C.
Pantelakos (NH), Sen. Mary Kay Papen (NM), Sen. Sandy Pappas
(MN), Rep. Carolyn Partridge (VT), Rep. Janet Petersen (IA),
Rep. Danice Picaux (NM), Rep. Wilfred Pierre (LA), Sen. Edith
P. Prague (CT), Rep. Joseph Preston, Jr. (PA), Assm. Mary
Previte (NJ), Rep. Ann Pugh (VT), Sen. Bill Purcell (NC),
Rep. Randy Rankin (AR), Rep. Michael S. Reese (VT), Rep. Nan
H. Rich (FL), Rep. Barbara Hull Richardson (NH), Rep. Curtis
Richardson (FL), Sen. John Riggs (AR), Sen. Elizabeth Roberts
(RI), Rep. Debbie A. Rodella (NM), Rep. Jim Roebuck (PA),
Rep. Tommy Roebuck (AR), Rep. Sandra Reyenga Rodgers (AR),
Rep. Sara Romeo (FL), Rep. Don Ross (OK), Sen. Larry Rowe
(WV), Rep. Ray Ruiz (NM).
Rep. Byron Rushing (MA), Rep. Robert Rusten (VT), Sen. John
Sampson (NY), Assm. Steven Sanders (NY), Sen. Nellie R.
Santiago (NY), Rep. Hank Schaefer (VT), Rep. Mark Schauer
(MI), Sen. J. Thomas Schedler (LA), Sen. Eric T. Schneiderman
(NY), Sen. Allyson Y. Schwartz (PA), Rep. Nancy Scovner (NH),
Sen. Jack Scott (CA), Rep. Craig S. Scribner, Sr. (VT), Rep.
Gloria Seldin (NH), Sen. William Shaw (IL), Rep. O.L. Shelton
(MO), Sen. Mike Shoemaker (OH), Rep. Martha Shoffner (AR),
Rep. Elizabeth C. Shultis (NH), Ren. Betty Sims (MO), Rep.
Ricca Slone (IL), Rep. Harvey T. Smith (VT), Rep. Marjorie K.
Smith (NH).
Assm. Richard A. Smith (NY), Rep. Shirley A. Smith (OH),
Sen. Terry Smith (AR), Rep. Hilda Weyl Sokol (NH), Rep.
Cynthia Soto (IL), Rep. Pamela A. Stanley (GA), Sen. Toby Ann
Stavisky (NY), Assm. Darrell Steinberg (CA), Rep. Matthew
Stevens (VT), Rep. Mimi Stewart (NM), Rep. Bill Stovall (AR),
Rep. Fred Strahorn (OH), Rep. Benjamin Sulan (MA), Rep.
Benjamin Swan (MA), Rep. Donna Sweaney (VT), Rep. Gaye
Symngton (VT), Sen. Penfield W. Tate III (CO), Rep. Larry
Teague (AR), Rep. Samuel ``Buzz'' Thomas (MI), Assm. Helen
Thomson (CA).
Sen. Patricia S. Ticer (VA), Sen. Tom Torlakson (CA), Rep.
John Patrick Tracy (VT), Sen. Sue Tucker (MA), Del. Frank S.
Turner (MD), Del. Marina Van Landingham (VA), Rep. Barb
Vander Veen (MI), Sen. John Vasconcellos (CA), Rep. Richard
Vigil (NM), Rep. Cathy Voyer (VT), Sen. Jack Wagner (PA),
Rep. Vicki Walker (OR), Rep. Don Webster (VT), Assm. Loretta
Weinberg (NJ), Rep. Yvonne Welch (LA), Sen. Royce West (TX),
Rep. Susan Wheeler (VT), Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (VA),
Sen. Celestino A. White, Sr. (VI), Rep. Doug Wiles (FL), Rep.
Roberta Willis (CT), Rep. Frederica Wilson (FL), Rep. Philip
Winters (VT), Rep. Larry W. Womble (NC), Rep. Jane Wood (NH),
Rep. Jim Wood (AR), Rep. Kurt Wright (VT), Rep. Karen
Yarbrough (IL), Rep. David Zuckerman (VT).
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