Date: Fri, 07 Aug 1998 13:03:43 -0400 From: "CDFupdate CDFupdate" To: cdfupdate@automailer.com Subject: CDF Update - August 7, 1998 Sender: owner-cdfupdate@automailer.com Children's Defense Fund Update August 7, 1998 In this issue: -- House and Senate Recess -- Child Care Now! HOUSE AND SENATE RECESS SCHEDULE The House and Senate have both adjourned for August recess. The Senate is expected to return to Washington on August 31st. The House is expected to return to session on September 9th. It is important to contact your Senators and Representative while they are home. This is a good opportunity for them to hear your concerns about many important issues we have been working on the last several months. For more information on these issues and others, please visit CDF's web site at www.childrensdefense.org. To find the local phone number for your Members of Congress call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121, visit http://congress.org/, or call your local League of Women Voters, elections office, or county or state party operation. --Child Care-- Despite the set back for child care when the tobacco bill (which included the Kerry/Bond Child Care Amendment) was pulled from the Senate floor in June, CDF will continue to work with national, state, and local organizations to pass an increase in funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. In the fall, we will focus on securing additional funding in the budget process. It is important that members of the House and Senate hear about the need for quality, affordable child care and after-school activities in your community. --Violence Prevention-- There is much work to be done to prevent violence against and by children, especially gun violence. First, Senator Hatch has vowed to bring S. 10 to the Senate floor in September, so Senators need to hear once again that S. 10 is a misguided approach to keeping children safe and on track, because it would allow children to be put in adult jails and prisons, it would fail to significantly invest in prevention, and it would fail to keep children safe from gunfire. Second, encourage Senators and Representatives to endorse the Kennedy/McCarthy Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act. Third, urge Representatives and Senators to support strong prevention investments in the House Commerce-State-Justice Appropriations Bill, which passed the House this week (with $125 million for prevention) and will be conferenced with the Senate bill (with $95 million for prevention). For more details see CDF Update 7/31. --The Budget Bill-- The House has passed a budget resolution that includes a massive $101 billion tax cut that would be paid for by cutting programs to low-income children and families. The Senate has passed its own version of a budget resolution with $30 billion in tax cuts. The House and Senate will attempt to resolve their budget differences after the August recess. Members of Congress must hear that children and their families cannot afford slashes in Medicaid, cash aid, benefits for those with disabilities, food stamps, or the Earned Income Tax Credit and Congress should oppose cutting services and benefits needed by poor and moderate income families in order to fund expensive tax cuts largely benefiting the wealthy. For more details see CDF Update 7/17. --Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill-- At a time of economic prosperity and growing budget surpluses, the House Appropriations Committee has proposed an Appropriations Bill that slashes funding for vital programs serving low-income children and families and fails to provide investments in program needed to help America's most vulnerable children have the opportunity to become productive members of our society. The House will consider this bill after the August recess, so urge your Representative to reject this bill and move forward with a measure that addresses the needs of children and families. CHILD CARE NOW! --Help Congress Get The Picture-- Let children speak up by designing banners, posters, and pictures to deliver the child care message to Congress. We need Congress to increase funding for child care this year, so please act now! Children of all ages (and children at heart) can get involved. Be creative! All children's programs, day care homes and centers, summer camps, libraries, churches, community centers, and friends can participate. Ask children to create their own hand-drawn banners, posters, and pictures. Please send us as many drawings as you can. Include the message "Act Now! We Need Quality Child Care and Safe After-School Activities!" on each drawing. Child Care Now! plans to hold a national press conference and deliver the drawings to Congress in mid-September. To make this event a huge success, we need thousands of drawings from across the country. Mail all drawings to Child Care Now! 25 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Questions? Call Brooke Thacher at 202-662-3557. -- OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR NUMBERS -- PLEASE FORWARD THIS LEGISLATIVE UPDATE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES! Our typical e-mail is about a page or two long and is delivered once a week. To join the CDF Update list, sign-up on our Web site or send an e-mail to: and write in the body of the message: subscribe cdfupdate PLEASE NOTE: WHEN SUBSCRIBING OR UNSUBSCRIBING, DO NOT SURROUND YOUR ADDRESS WITH BRACKETS. Liz Rochlen Children's Defense Fund 25 E Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 202/662-3540 (fax) CDFupdate@childrensdefense.org www.childrensdefense.org