[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21277-21278]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            VOTE EXPLANATION

 Mr. REED. Madam President, due to the delay of my flight, I 
was unavoidably absent for vote No. 285, the vote to invoke cloture on 
the motion to proceed to H.R. 976.
  Had I been present, I would have voted yes on the motion to proceed. 
This is one of the most important pieces of legislation that the Senate 
will consider this year. It is the first reauthorization of the highly 
successful Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. I am proud to 
have

[[Page 21278]]

been a part of the original bipartisan effort to create this initiative 
back in 1997. While some on the other side of the aisle will criticize 
the Finance Committee agreement pending before this Chamber, no one can 
deny CHIP has played a crucial role in helping to reduce the rate of 
uninsured low-income children over the past 10 years. The Congressional 
Budget Office estimates that the number of uninsured children fell from 
22.5 percent in 1996 to 16.9 percent in 2005 due in large part to CHIP.
  I look forward to a vigorous and spirited debate on this bill, and I 
am dedicated to working very closely with my colleagues to ensure the 
Senate will advance a reauthorization bill that reaffirms our 
commitment to health insurance coverage for children in Rhode Island 
and around the country.

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