HB 1727

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress to extend the State Children's Health Insurance
4	Program and appropriate sufficient funds to allow each
5	state, using an appropriate match, to extend health care
6	coverage to every child in America.
7
8	WHEREAS, Florida is the fourth most populous state, with
9	16.4 million residents, and
10	WHEREAS, more than 2 million Floridians live in poverty and
11	approximately 2.8 million Floridians have no health insurance
12	whatsoever, and
13	WHEREAS, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that 17
14	percent of Florida children are currently uninsured, and
15	WHEREAS, it is a moral incumbency that every Floridian,
16	especially children, have access to quality, affordable health
17	care, and
18	WHEREAS, more than 250,000 children are currently insured
19	through the Florida KidCare program, yet hundreds of thousands
20	of children continue to go without quality health care, and
21	WHEREAS, the Florida KidCare program is funded in large
22	part by federal contributions from the State Children's Health
23	Insurance Program, and
24	WHEREAS, the State Children's Health Insurance Program is
25	set to expire in federal fiscal year 2007, unless reauthorized
26	by the United States Congress, and
27	WHEREAS, the Florida KidCare program, with additional long-
28	term funding from the United States Congress through the State
29	Children's Health Insurance Program, has the potential of
30	expanding health insurance, NOW, THEREFORE,
31
32	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
33
34	That the Congress of the United States is urged to pass
35	legislation during the 108th Congress to extend the State
36	Children's Health Insurance Program beyond federal fiscal year
37	2007.
38	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Congress of the United
39	States is requested to allow each state, using an appropriate
40	federal match, to allow legal aliens to participate in the State
41	Children?s Health Insurance Program.
42	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
43	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
44	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
45	United States House of Representatives, to the Majority and
46	Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and the United
47	States House of Representatives, and to each Member of the
48	Florida delegation to the 108th United States Congress.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.