|
|
|
|
Senator Moore urges Speaker Pelosi to push Children’s Health Renewal this
fall; plays active role in NCSL Conference
August 10, 2007... A key Massachusetts lawmaker played an active role at the Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Boston this week. In addition to presiding at the group’s annual policy conference and chairing task force meetings on Homeland Security and Health Information Technology, Senator Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, had a unique opportunity to personally advocate for renewal of an expanded children’s health program with the Speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives. Following Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s remarks to the NCSL Legislative Summit, Senator Moore rose during the question and answer session to congratulate the Speaker on the recent passage of new children’s health legislation. “For state legislations, the program (SCHIP) has been a huge success, Moore told the Speaker, adding, “It serves as a ringing example of how effective a state-federal partnership can be, without which millions of children would be without health care.” Senator Moore, who chairs the Massachusetts legislature’s Health Care Financing Committee, noted that “the new House bill matches most key points of NCSL policy supported by state legislators maintaining state flexibility, expanding coverage, and continuing the philosophy of the program as it was initially conceived a decade ago.” He urged the Speaker to lead in resolving differences with the U. S. Senate in renewing the SCHIP program before it officially expires at the end of September. Speaker Pelosi responded that she supported state and federal governments working together on priorities that include: protecting the American people, strengthening families, preserving the planet and strengthening the economy. She outlined how those goals are being accomplished. “For our states and nation to be strong, we must strengthen our families,” Pelosi said, and spoke about the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (S-CHIP). The U.S. House has passed a version that would bring the program to an additional 5 million kids, nearly doubling the current enrollment to 11 million. The Senate version is not as broad. She asked Senator Moore and his NCSL colleagues to join with her in calling on President George W. Bush to support the legislation despite his threatened veto. In addition to his conversation with the House Speaker, Senator Moore co-chaired sessions of the NCSL Task Force on Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and the Health Information Technology Champions Project. He also participated in the NCSL Executive Committee, the Advisory Committee of the Trust for Representative Democracy and the Board of the NCSL Foundation. The senator is a member of all three groups. Senator Moore has also served during this year as chairman of the NCSL Steering Committee directing the organization’s policy efforts of its various standing committees, and he presided during the meeting that adopted NCSL policy for the coming year. The National Conference of State Legislatures is the bipartisan organization that serves the nation’s 7200 state legislators and staff of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system. |
