[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 26, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2840-S2841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Dayton):
  S. 448. A bill to leave no child behind, to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today with colleagues Senator Kennedy 
and Senator Dayton to introduce the Leave No Child Behind Act of 2003, 
legislation that provides a comprehensive blueprint for addressing the 
needs of our Nation's children.
  When Representative George Miller and I introduced the Act to Leave 
No Child Behind in the last Congress, in May of 2001, this Nation was 
looking at an unprecedented Federal budget surplus of some $5.6 
trillion that Federal budget experts forecasted for the years 2002-
2011.
  But, just 2 years later, that projected surplus is gone. Instead, 
Federal budget experts now predict a deficit of more than $2 trillion 
for those years, the worst fiscal reversal in our history.
  Where did the money go?
  Obviously, the current economic slowdown has had an impact insofar as 
it has caused a drop in Federal receipts. However, much of the surplus 
was lost to an enormous tax bill that contained mostly tax breaks for 
the largest companies and most affluent individuals, which was enacted 
during the spring of 2001.
  And now, to make matters worse, the President is calling for more tax 
breaks, again, mostly to be enjoyed by the wealthy, which Federal 
budget experts estimate will cost $1.5 trillion over the next decade.
  At the same time, the President has proposed to severely weaken our 
Nation's efforts on behalf of families and children, particularly poor 
families with children.
  I listened to the President call for a more compassionate America in 
his State of the Union Address. Little did I expect that he was calling 
for others to be compassionate so that he would not have to be.
  The budget that we received from the President earlier this month is 
the worst I have seen for families with children in decades.
  Despite the fact that millions of parents struggle with the cost of 
child care, that the majority of States have long waiting lists, and 
that we vastly need to improve the quality of care, the President 
proposes to freeze child care assistance in each of the next five 
years.
  At the same time, the President proposes to increase the number of 
hours that parents on welfare are required to work and increase the 
overall number of parents on welfare who are required to work. All of 
this is without a dime more for child care.
  Who is going to watch these children? It is an undeniable fact that 
additional work requirements will cause an increase in the amount of 
child care parents need. And, additional hours of child care cost 
money.
  The risk is that States will rob Peter to pay Paul. They will shift 
child care assistance from the working poor, many of whom might be 
former welfare recipients, to help those on welfare meet their child 
care costs. This makes no sense.
  For Head Start, the President proposes a modest increase, barely 
enough to cover inflation despite the fact that Head Start reaches only 
60 percent of eligible 3- and 4-year-old children and only 3 percent of 
eligible infants and toddlers.
  In lieu of a real expansion in the program, the President proposes 
giving current Head Start funds used by community programs to States. 
This would mean that after 38 years of success, Head Start would no 
longer be a national program, with national performance standards, 
offering comprehensive services to our Nation's poorest children--those 
most likely to be struggling once in school.
  Head Start works. Study after study shows the gains Head Start 
children make. Since Head Start graduates make up only 8 percent of 
incoming kindergarten students, it makes no sense to raid the Head 
Start money to reach the other 92 percent of children who are not in 
Head Start. And yet, that could very well be the result of the 
President's proposal.
  What we know in our country is that many of our young people need a 
safe place to go after school, particularly at-risk youth who would 
otherwise be likely to go home alone, where in the absence of adult 
supervision, they are more likely to smoke, drink, have sex, or engage 
in crime. And yet, the President proposes to cut the 21st Century 
after-school program by $400 million. That cut would cause some 570,000 
children to be discharged next year from after-school programs across 
America.
  The President proposes deep cuts in Federal housing assistance, 
allowing States to receive foster care as a block grant instead of 
individual payments based on children actually in foster care, and 
potentially eliminating health insurance for millions of children 
through a block grant of Medicaid and the State Children's Health 
Insurance Program.
  At the same time, according to the National Governor's Association, 
State economies are on the whole in the worst shape since World War II. 
States are operating with billions of dollars in the red with State 
constitutional requirements to balance their budgets.
  It is clear what is going on here.
  Instead of providing more resources to help States during these tough 
times, the President is raiding poverty programs for children and using 
that money to help pay for tax benefits for those who are at the very 
top of the income scale. This reckless policy only worsens the budget 
shortfalls facing so many States.
  Children are one-quarter of our population. But, they are 100 percent 
of our future. It makes no sense to shortchange our investment in 
children.

[[Page S2841]]

  America's children today are living under some staggering challenges. 
Nearly 12 million children live in poverty; over 9 million children 
have no health coverage; about 7 million children go home alone each 
week after school; and, nearly 1 million children are abused and 
neglected.
  We can do better for our children. We should do better for children. 
We don't need another tax break for America's wealthiest citizens. What 
we need is a sound investment in our Nation's children.
  The legislation we are introducing today is called, ``An Act to Leave 
No Child Behind.'' We are committed to this one principle beyond all 
others. Not just a slogan, but as a means to define an urgent national 
priority.
  We need to make sure that we not only talk about leaving no child 
behind, but that we actually take steps to do so. Introducing this bill 
is the first such step.
  Every word on every page is focused on the same purpose--lifting our 
children up, giving each child an opportunity, helping each child to 
have a safe and rewarding life.
  Under the Act to Leave No Child Behind, every child in America would 
have health coverage. No child in America would go to bed at night 
aching from hunger. We would use our tax code to lift millions of 
children out of poverty--not provide more hand-outs for the most 
wealthy in this country.
  It's time to ensure that every American child has an opportunity to 
attend Head Start, Pre-K, or quality child care to begin a lifetime of 
learning. It's time to ensure that every American child can read by 4th 
grade, and read at grade level. And, it's time to take dramatic new 
steps to address the needs of children who are abused and neglected 
every year.
  Budget experts predict that the President's tax plan will give 
millionaires an average tax break of $88,800 each. For that same amount 
of money, we could fully fund Head Start and provide health insurance 
to every one of the 9 million uninsured children.
  We have the resources. If we can afford to give $88,800 on average to 
every millionaire, then the question is really about priorities and 
political will--not resources.
  If we join together, we can transform this Nation and give each and 
every child his God-given right to grow and flourish to all he can be, 
to his or her fullest potential so that all children can realize their 
dreams.
  I ask unanimous consent to have a summary of the bill printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the summary was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    The Act to Leave No Child Behind

       The Act to Leave No Child Behind is a comprehensive bill 
     that will benefit every child in America. The measure 
     represents a vision of what we can do for children if we 
     really want to move beyond talking about leaving no child 
     behind to taking steps to actually leave no child behind. 
     Each of the bill's twelve titles seeks to improve the lives 
     of children so that they can reach their fullest potential.


               Title I: Every Child Needs a Healthy Start

       Over 9 million children throughout America have no health 
     insurance today. Under the Act to Leave No Child Behind, all 
     uninsured children would receive health care coverage.


     Title II: Parenting--Supporting Children's Healthy Development

       Too many parents throughout America struggle to balance 
     work, family, and the needs of their children. Under the Act 
     to Leave No Child Behind, the Family and Medical Leave Act 
     would be expanded to cover more employees, create pilot 
     demonstrations to offer paid leave, and allocate grants to 
     states to provide parenting support and education.


             Title III: Child Care, Head Start, & Education

       Research on brain development during the first three years 
     of life makes clear the need for quality early childhood 
     development. Yet, only one out of every seven eligible 
     children receives child care assistance and the quality of 
     child care that children receive needs to be vastly improved. 
     Head Start reaches only 60 percent of eligible 3 and 4 year 
     olds and only 3 percent of infants and toddlers. Full funding 
     for child care and 3 & 4 year-olds in Head Start would ensure 
     that all children eligible for assistance can receive it.
       Title IV: Tax Relief for Low-Wage Working Families; Title 
     V: Moving Out of Poverty
       Tax relief under current law is limited for low income 
     families. The Act to Leave No Child Behind will increase the 
     child tax credit, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and the 
     Dependent Tax Credit, and reduce the marriage penalty for low 
     income families. Nearly 12 million children live in poverty 
     in America today; about 78 percent of them live in working 
     families. The Act to Leave No Child Behind includes supports 
     for hard working parents to remain employed and to help lift 
     themselves and their children out of poverty.


 Title VI: Getting Enough to Eat; Title VII: Affording a Place to Live

       The Department of Agriculture estimates that nearly 13 
     million children live in families not getting enough to eat, 
     including nearly 3 million children who regularly go hungry. 
     The Act to Leave No Child Behind will expand food assistance 
     to low income families with children. The fastest growing 
     group among those with ``worst case housing needs'' includes 
     families with children. The Act to Leave No Child Behind will 
     increase the means for states to ensure that families with 
     children have a decent, affordable place to live.


               Title VIII: Every Child Needs a Safe Start

       Every day, nearly 8,000 children are reported to public 
     child protection agencies as suspected victims of child 
     abuse. In too many states, the child protection system is 
     stretched to its breaking point. The Act to Leave No Child 
     Behind will help to ensure that more children are in safe, 
     nurturing, and permanent families.


Title IX: Successful Transitions to Adulthood--Youth Development; Title 
                          X: Juvenile Justice

       Nearly 7 million children go home alone unsupervised each 
     week after school. The Act to Leave No Child Behind will 
     provide increased funding for after-school and youth 
     development programs. While juvenile crime rates have been 
     declining since 1994, still too many children come into 
     contact with the law. The Act to Leave No Child Behind will 
     provide funding for delinquency prevention programs and will 
     enable more at-risk youth to become productive, law-abiding 
     adults.


                          Title XI: Gun Safety

       The most recent annual data shows that over 3,300 children 
     and teens in America were killed by gunfire, including about 
     one-third who committed suicide. The Act to Leave No Child 
     Behind will close existing loopholes in our nation's gun law 
     and promote child safety.


    Title XII: Every Child Needs the Support of the Entire Community

       The Act to Leave No Child Behind will establish a blue-
     ribbon commission to identify family-friendly practices that 
     the private sector can replicate and promote.
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