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ENCOURAGING GOVERNMENTS TO DISSEMINATE STATISTICS ON ABANDONED NEWBORN BABIES -- (House of Representatives - April 11, 2000)

This resolution to count the number of babies that have been abandoned in public places shamefully represents the fact that the 

[Page: H2026]  GPO's PDF
Republican Majority is all talk and no action in helping the children of America. This resolution offers to count the number of children who are abandoned, but provides nothing toward preventing these devastating events from occurring.

   I am all for keeping good statistics on America's social problems, however I am more interested in providing funding to programs necessary to address these problems. Teenage pregnancy, parents' substance abuse and lack of access to mental h ealth b enefits are the most cited causes by researchers for abuse and neglect of children.

   Instead of increasing access to these services, this Congress has denied people access to these services. Last year, Congress reduced the Social Services Block Grant by $125 million. This program has been essential in providing funding for family planning services.

   HHS released a report last year that found parental substance abuse to be a problem in 26 percent of child welfare cases. Last year, the Majority House Appropriations bill responded to this report by reducing the funding to the SAMHSA Substance Abuse Block Grant by $115 million under the President's request.

   The Majority also refuses to act on bills that increase the affordability and accessibility of mental h ealth b enefits to Americans. I have a bill, the National Mental H ealth P arity A ct of 1999, that would require parity f or physical and mental p rivate health b enefits and increase mental h ealth b enefits in Medicare. The Majority has refused to act on it or any other item. This bill is just one of many that attempt to ensure that Americans receive adequate mental h ealth b enefits.

   I wish the Majority would stop providing resolutions that are nothing more than empty statements. It is time to help the American people and pass substantive legislation to prevent the tragedy of parents abandoning their children in public places. Congress could achieve this by increasing accessibility and affordability to family planning services, mental h ealth b enefits and counseling for substance abuse--not through empty resolutions like the one offered here today.

   Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

   The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. HANSEN). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Delaware (Mr. CASTLE) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 465.

   The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.

   A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. 

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