PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 2610 PRINTER'S NO. 2670
No. 447 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY DePASQUALE, SEIP, DeWEESE, McCALL, BELFANTI, BENNINGTON, BISHOP, BRENNAN, CALTAGIRONE, CRUZ, FRANKEL, GEORGE, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HORNAMAN, JAMES, KORTZ, LEACH, MARKOSEK, McGEEHAN, McILVAINE SMITH, MUNDY, NICKOL, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, RAMALEY, SAMUELSON, SANTONI, SIPTROTH, M. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STURLA, SURRA, THOMAS, WALKO, YUDICHAK, HARKINS, BIANCUCCI, CONKLIN, MYERS, R. TAYLOR, SHAPIRO, CURRY, LENTZ, J. WHITE, DALEY, MAHONEY, KULA, GALLOWAY, KING, LONGIETTI, WOJNAROSKI, PETRONE, DERMODY, CASORIO, JOSEPHS, K. SMITH, MANDERINO, KESSLER, FREEMAN, DeLUCA, PASHINSKI, PARKER AND PETRARCA, OCTOBER 15, 2007
AS AMENDED, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, OCTOBER 17, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Condemning the veto by the President of United States of <--
2 EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR the Children's Health Insurance <--
3 Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 and urging the Congress
4 of the United States to override the veto AND URGING THE <--
5 CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO REQUIRE THE COMPLETION OF
6 CERTAIN TITLE IV-E AUDITS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF
7 PENNSYLVANIA.
8 WHEREAS, The highly successful State Children's Health
9 Insurance Program (SCHIP), created by the Federal Balanced
10 Budget Act of 1997, has enabled states to provide health care
11 coverage to more than 6 million uninsured low-income children in
12 this country; and
13 WHEREAS, Through the program's enhanced Federal match
14 funding, Pennsylvania is currently helping to provide health
15 care coverage to more than 164,000 low-income children who do
16 not qualify for Medicaid and would otherwise be uninsured; and
1 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania led the nation in launching the first 2 Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 1992 and provided 3 the model for Federal support of all states; and 4 WHEREAS, In 2006, Pennsylvania continued its leadership by 5 expanding affordable health care coverage to uninsured children 6 through its Cover All Kids program; and 7 WHEREAS, The Children's Health Insurance Program 8 Reauthorization Act of 2007, H.R. 976, is a bipartisan 9 compromise plan to reauthorize the SCHIP program, which expired 10 on September 30, 2007, and to expand coverage to an additional 11 3.8 million children; and 12 WHEREAS, On October 3, 2007, the President of the United 13 States vetoed H.R. 976, citing philosophical differences with 14 regard to the expansion of the program; and 15 WHEREAS, This veto will severely hamper Pennsylvania's 16 efforts to help more than 133,000 remaining uninsured children 17 obtain access to health care coverage; and 18 WHEREAS, It is critical that this legislation be enacted to 19 ensure affordable health care coverage for all uninsured 20 children; therefore be it 21 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 22 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania condemn the veto by the President <-- 23 of the United States of EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR the Children's <-- 24 Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007; and be it 25 further 26 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 27 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United 28 States to override the veto; and be it further 29 RESOLVED, THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE <-- 30 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA ALSO URGE THE CONGRESS OF THE 20070H0447R2670 - 2 -
1 UNITED STATES TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN 2 SERVICES TO EXPEDITE COMPLETION OF ITS AUDIT OF THE DEPARTMENT 3 OF PUBLIC WELFARE OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AS IT 4 RELATES TO TITLE IV-E EXPENDITURE CLAIMS, PARTICULARLY PHASES 5 THREE, FOUR AND FIVE AND TO PUBLISH THE AUDIT FINDINGS AND ANY 6 FEDERAL DISALLOWANCES AND POTENTIAL FEDERAL PENALTIES AS SOON AS 7 POSSIBLE; AND BE IT FURTHER 8 RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to 9 the President of the United States, to the presiding officers of 10 each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from 11 Pennsylvania. J10L82DMS/20070H0447R2670 - 3 -