Sacramento Head Start Alumni Association

Congressional Actions for Children in 2001

Feb 03, 2002

The year 2001 started out with great hopes for children. The new President had adopted CDF?’s trademarked mission words and pledged his commitment to Leave No Child Behind?¢ . The Act to Leave No Child Behind (S. 940/H.R. 1990) was introduced, providing a national policy vision for America?’s children and families. The economy was strong and the federal budget showed a multi-trillion dollar surplus over the next ten years.

Children and families did score significant gains in 2001. For example, over 500,000 children will be lifted out of poverty over the next ten years as a result of the improvements made to the Child Tax Credit. A major education bill was passed with potential to improve our public school system if well implemented and adequately funded. New funds were provided to allow additional young children to enroll in Head Start. Many members of Congress spoke out strongly and effectively for children and worked hard to meet their needs. Yet the President and Congress squandered many other opportunities to help children and provide them with health care, nutrition assistance and protection from abuse and neglect. Instead, major new tax cuts were showered on the wealthy, widening the gap between rich and poor, quickly draining the federal budget surplus and leading to another era of deficits.

After the tragic events of September 11th, Congress shifted its attention and priorities to national security and economic recovery measures. Many pieces of legislation previously under consideration were temporarily set aside and will be considered again in 2002.

Act to Leave No Child Behind(S.940/H.R. 1990) On May 23, 2001, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Representative George Miller (D-CA) introduced this comprehensive legislation for America?’s children. By the end of the year, 10 Senators and 80 Representatives from 28 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have co-sponsored the legislation. Many of the Act?’s key provisions have been introduced separately as well, most with broad and bipartisan support. Around the country, over 50 mayors and 230 state legislators have pledged their commitment to the Act and are working to gain enactment of its provisions. Several state legislators plan to introduce the Act at the state level. Further, more than 920 organizations from 43 states and the District of Columbia have endorsed the Act to Leave No Child Behind and are rallying to its support.

Family Income and Tax Relief for Working Families

The Child Tax Credit was greatly improved and made partially refundable in 2001, providing major new tax assistance to millions of low income families with children (P.L. 107-16). Despite the Administration?’s opposition to extending the credit to low income families, the final legislation will help nearly 17 million more children than proposed by the President, and provide many low income families with tax refunds of up to $1000 per child when it is fully phased. The improvements are an important step towards reaching every child, as proposed in the Act to Leave No Child Behind.
The Earned Income Tax Credit was simplified and improved in 2001 to provide some marriage penalty relief for low income married couples (P.L.107-16). The new provisions are similar to those in the Act to Leave No Child Behind.
Food Stamp legislation gained ground in 2001 as the House passed a farm bill (H.R. 2646) that included expansions and improvements to the Food Stamp program. The Senate began debate on its farm bill (S. 1731), with more extensive improvements to Food Stamps similar to those included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, including the restoration of benefits for legal immigrant children. As a result of cuts to legal immigrants and other factors, the Food Stamp caseload declined by 29 percent between 1996 and 2000. The Senate is expected to resume consideration of the farm bill in 2002.
Unemployment Insurance (UI) reforms were debated in 2001 as the economy worsened and unemployment rose in the aftermath of September 11th. The economic stimulus bill (H.R. 3090) approved by the Senate Finance Committee would have improved the UI program by extending benefits to recent entrants to the workforce and those seeking part-time work, as provided in the Act to Leave No Child Behind. The economic stimulus bill stalled, however, after acrimonious debate.
Housing Assistance gained a small funding increase in 2001, as 26,000 new section 8 housing vouchers were funded under the appropriations bill (P.L. 107-73). The Act to Leave No Child Behind would add 1 million new section 8 housing vouchers over the next ten years.
Child Support enforcement legislation, similar to that proposed in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, was introduced with bipartisan support in 2001 (H.R.1471/S. 685, S.916). No action was taken on these bills.
Education

A major education bill (H.R.1/S. 1) was passed and signed by the President. It contains many provisions similar to those proposed in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, including new disaggregated testing, report cards and accountability provisions; improvements in teacher quality; and increased focus on literacy and early childhood efforts. Implementation and adequate funding will be key to the success of the bill.
Child Care and Early Childhood Development

The Dependent Care Tax Credit, which offsets a portion of the child care expenses of middle and upper income working families, was improved in 2001 (P.L. 107-16). The Act to Leave No Child Behind included similar improvements, and most important, also would make the DCTC refundable so that it would help low income working families with their child care expenses. Unfortunately, refundability provisions were not among the DCTC improvements enacted in 2001.
Head Start funding was increased by $338 million for FY 2002, more than doubling the President?’s proposal, and allowing approximately 15,000 additional preschoolers, infants and toddlers to enroll in Head Start and Early Head Start next year.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant gained a $100 million funding increase for FY 2002, as Congress rejected the Administration?’s proposal to cut CCDBG by $200 million. Funding for the Early Learning Opportunities Act was increased by $5 million, and $5 million was also added to the Early Childhood Educator Professional Development Act for FY 2002.
A new Early Reading First program was initiated under the education reform bill (H.R. 1/S. 1) and funded at $75 million for FY 2002. The new program, targeted to low income communities, will provide grants to support the verbal and pre-reading skills of children, 3 to 5 years of age.
Child Health

Health care for the uninsured was a major issue early in the session as Congress included funding in its 2002 Budget Resolution to extend health care to more uninsured Americans. A number of competing bills were introduced and debated, including the Family Care Act (S. 1244/H.R. 2630), the Legal Immigrant Children?’s Health Improvement Act (S. 582/H.R. 1143) (both contained in the Act to Leave to Leave No Child Behind), and tax credit bills endorsed by the Administration. Later in the year, Congress also considered providing health care to the newly unemployed as part of the economic stimulus legislation (H.R. 3090). Congress adjourned in December, however, without passing any measures to provide new help for the uninsured.
Health care for disabled children also gained ground in 2001, as the Family Opportunity Act (S.321/H.R. 600), included in the Act the Leave No Child Behind and designed to provide families with disabled children greater access to Medicaid, was introduced with broad bipartisan support. While no action was taken on the bill in 2001, Congress is expected to focus attention on it in 2002.
Patients?’ Rights bills passed both houses of Congress in 2001 (S. 1052/H.R. 2563) to provide new protections and rights to those enrolled in HMOs, including children. No final action was taken in 2001, however, as patients?’ rights was set aside after September 11th.
Funding increases were provided for a number of children?’s health programs for FY 2002, including Childhood Immunizations, the Ryan White Pediatric AIDS initiative and the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant. Congress rejected the Administration?’s proposal to cut funding for Newborn and Infant Hearing Screening and instead increased funding for the program by 25% for FY 2002.
Child Welfare and Mental Health

The Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) Act Amendments of 2001 (H.R. 2873) was passed by Congress and is awaiting the President?’s signature. The legislation reauthorizes for five years the PSSF program to help states and communities prevent child abuse and neglect, assist families in crisis, and promote adoptions; and authorizes a new voucher program for education and training for youths aging out of foster care. While the President and Congress did not fulfill their earlier commitment to guarantee an additional $200 million annually for PSSF, a $70 million funding increase was provided for FY 2002. However, no funds for FY 2002 were provided for the education voucher program for youths leaving foster care. The Act to Leave No Child Behind includes similar provisions with guaranteed funding increases.
A new Foundations for Learning Grants Program was passed as part of the education bill (H.R. 1/S. 1) to promote school readiness through early childhood emotional and social development. The new program will help emotionally at-risk children age six or younger and is similar to a provision in the Act to Leave No Child Behind. While no funding was provided for this new initiative for FY 2002, funding increases were appropriated for several programs to address the needs of children with mental health problems. Funding for the National Children?’s Post Traumatic Stress Initiative was doubled from $10 to $20 million for the treatment of children and youth with post traumatic stress disorder who have experienced or witnessed trauma of different types. The Children?’s Mental Health Services Grant Program also received a $5 million increase, for a total of $96.7 million. Funding for the Mental Health Block Grant also was increased by $13 million to $433 million.
Mental health parity legislation was seriously considered in 2001. A bipartisan bill (S. 543) to expand the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act and establish mental health parity by requiring coverage equal to medical/surgical care for all mental health conditions was approved by the Senate as part of the annual Labor/HHS Appropriations bill. While these provisions were dropped from the final appropriations bill, Congress did act to extend the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act for one year and encouraged the committees with jurisdiction in the House and Senate to hold hearings and consider the new parity legislation during 2002.
A modest funding increase ($1.5 million) was provided for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) programs for FY 2002, and Congress rejected the President?’s proposal to decrease funding for CAPTA research and innovation grants. Legislation to reauthorize CAPTA was carried over to 2002.
The Social Services Block Grant was funded at only $1.7 billion for FY 2002, $25 million below its FY 2001 funding level. Several bills to increase funding levels for the Social Services Block Grant, as proposed in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, were introduced but not acted upon in 2001.
Legislation (S. 1483) to establish a new program for children exposed to domestic violence, similar to that proposed in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, was introduced. No action was taken on the bill this year.
The Child Protection and Alcohol and Drug Partnership Act of 2001 (S. 484/H.R. 1909), included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, would give public child protection and substance abuse agencies incentives to offer treatment and services to promote safety and permanence for children, as well as recovery for parents who want help. It would provide $1.9 billion over five years to child protection and substance abuse agencies that apply together for the funds and target their activities on children and adolescents who come to the attention of the child welfare system. No action was taken on the bills in 2001.
Bipartisan legislation to provide equitable access for foster care and adoption services for Indian children in tribal areas was introduced in both houses (S. 550/H.R.2335). The bills, similar to provisions in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, would make children who are under the jurisdiction of tribes and placed in care by tribal agencies eligible for direct funding under the Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs.
Violence Prevention and Youth Development

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) reauthorization legislation (H.R. 1900) was passed by the House in 2001. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to consider its legislation to reauthorize the JJDPA in 2002. The Act to Leave No Child Behind makes numerous recommendations for improvements to the JJDPA, some of which have been included in one of the Senate proposals. Overall funding for juvenile justice programs was increased by $26 million for FY 2002.
Legislation (H.R. 863) authorizing the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG), was also passed by the House in 2001. The bill provides discretionary grants to states to both improve juvenile facilities and expand services to juvenile offenders. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate and is included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind.
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program was reauthorized as part of the education reform bill (H.R. 1/S.1), and modified to allow community based organizations (CBOs) to apply directly for program grants. Funding for the after-school program was increased by $154 million, bringing total program funding to $1 billion for FY 2002. The Act to Leave No Child Behind also proposed to expand the after-school program to CBOs, and increase its funding.
Funding for Runaway and Homeless Youth programs was increased slightly in FY 2002, from a total of $74 million to $88 million. The Act to Leave No Child Behind called for a total of $120 million for these programs in FY 2002.
Funding for YouthBuild, a program designed to help youth learn skills while they rehabilitate low income housing, was increased by $5 million from $60 million to $65 million in FY 2002. The Act to Leave No Child Behind would more adequately fund the program.
The Younger Americans Act, included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, was introduced with bipartisan support in both the House (H.R. 17) and the Senate (S. 1005) in 2001. The Younger Americans Act creates a comprehensive program to support local youth development activities. The bill encourages collaboration among community-based organizations, public agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, business, parents and youth to make assessments about gaps in services for youth and seek to enhance access to positive activities for youth. No action was taken on the bills in 2001.
Several gun safety bills were introduced in 2001 ?– most notably S. 767 to close the gun show loophole, and S. 436 to require consumer safety standards for trigger locks and the provision of trigger locks with all new handgun sales. Both the trigger lock and gun show loophole proposals are included in the Act to Leave No Child Behind, along with several other gun safety measures ?– many of which have been introduced as free-standing bills in the House and Senate.