“With a Republican-led Congress, there has been very little compassion shown for our nation’s children,” said Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-MO. He warned that “‘more of the same’ may be the theme for the 109th Congress.” He said Missouri’s shortfall in federal dollars for No Child Left Behind, IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and after-school programs totaled more than $360 million dollars in the last Congressional budget, making it “painstakingly clear that there is an uphill battle ahead for advocates working to make children’s issues a national priority.”
The 2005 omnibus spending bill falls $481 million short of President Bush’s weak funding requests for key education programs, Clay said. For education from kindergarten to college, the message is that children and parents can expect to receive little help from the federal government, he noted.
Health insurance is an equally urgent problem for the next Congress. Clay said the Children’s Defense Fund reports that 10 million children have no health insurance at all. “It is indefensible that our country is the only major industrialized nation in the world that does not guarantee that all of its children have access to the basic routine and adequate medical attention needed to ensure that they have healthy and productive childhoods,” he said.
Clay advised participants to maintain contact with their senators and representatives in Washington, DC. The best way to contact them is through e-mail or fax, he said, or contact their local offices. “Their staff members will keep you informed of bills moving through Congress,” he said. Clay also urged audience members to invite members of Congress to their facilities. “Visits help them visualize what you do,” he noted.
Kacky Garner, district director for Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO), also advised contacting legislators to let them know what legislation is needed. She predicted that the 109th Congress will assess several proposals affecting children, including those with disabilities. Garner said individual correspondence that gives the writer’s experience and suggestions is effective. But, she said, grassroots efforts such as phone calls can also influence politicians.
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