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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Based on three-year average uninsured rates for |
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2003-2005 from the U.S. Census Bureau, the State of Texas had the |
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highest percentage of uninsured at 24.6 percent; during this same |
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period, as a result of policies implemented in 2003, the number of |
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children enrolled in the State Children's Health Insurance Program |
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(SCHIP) decreased by 36.6 percent from 513,742 to 325,479; and |
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WHEREAS, This decline in Texas' SCHIP enrollment represents |
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the most extreme decline nationwide, and as of February 2007, |
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enrollment continues to be one-third below pre-2003 levels; and |
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WHEREAS, As a joint federal-state program, financing SCHIP |
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depends largely on the funds allocated to the state by the United |
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States Congress, with a generous match of $2.64 for every dollar |
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contributed by Texas for federal fiscal year 2007; under federal |
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law, however, a state must spend its entire annual SCHIP block |
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allocation within three years, or those unspent amounts are |
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returned to the federal government and redistributed to other |
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states that have spent their allocations and need additional |
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federal matching funds to cover their costs; and |
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WHEREAS, Regrettably, Texas returned a total of $893.4 |
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million in federal funds between 2000 and 2006, with another $20 |
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million scheduled to be returned on March 31, 2007; as a result, |
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Texas will likely face a special challenge in the upcoming federal |
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debate to convince Congress that it should grant the state enough |
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funds to cover all uninsured children who qualify for SCHIP but who |
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are not enrolled; and |
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WHEREAS, Against the backdrop of a federal deficit, Congress |
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is scheduled to debate the reauthorization of the SCHIP block grant |
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in 2007; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that states will |
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face total federal funding shortfalls of $13.4 billion over the |
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next five years if SCHIP is reauthorized and annual SCHIP funding is |
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set at the current baseline funding level of $5 billion per year; |
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without the additional $13.4 billion, the states will not have |
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adequate SCHIP funds to maintain current caseloads, benefits, and |
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eligibility standards, requiring enrollment nationwide to be cut by |
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35 percent by 2012; and |
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WHEREAS, Hundreds of thousands of uninsured Texas children |
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are at risk of remaining uninsured if Congress provides funding at a |
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level to support only current enrollment, leaving Texas without the |
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necessary funds to restore enrollment levels and accommodate other |
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essential uses of federal funds; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to |
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reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program and |
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approve the appropriation of $60 billion for the next five years to |
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enable Texas and other states to increase enrollment and insure all |
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eligible children; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, the |
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speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and all members of the Texas |
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delegation to the Congress with the request that this resolution be |
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officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the |
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Congress of the United States of America. |