Issue Position: Children

Issue Position

Doggett's Legislation Creates Commission to Reduce Child Fatalities, Develop Coordinated, National Response to Maltreatment

Each weekend that my wife and I are back in Texas, we try to devote a little time to our three preschool granddaughters. The joy of being with them, their growth, their learning, their creativity, and also their innocence and vulnerability are in such contrast to the abuse that too many young children face. To better address this kind of tragedy, we must improve our understanding of the causes of abuse and neglect and determine what steps we can take to prevent this kind of maltreatment. To that end, I authored the "Protect Our Kids Act," which was signed into law by President Obama in early 2013 and established the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities. This bipartisan commission, which you can read more about by clicking here, is the first step in developing a coordinated, national response.

The Protect Our Kids Act wasendorsed by the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, National Children's Alliance, National Association of Social Workers, National, District Attorneys Association, Every Child Matters Education Fund, National Center for the Review and Prevention of Child Deaths, American Professional Society for the Abuse of Children, Child Welfare League of America, Children's Advocacy Institute, The Center for Public Policy Priorities, Prevent Child Abuse America, First Star, National Child Protection Training Center.

Speaking Out for Foster Youth

I serve as Ranking Member on the Ways & Means Human Resources Subcommittee that handles child welfare, child support, foster care, and adoption issues. In the Ways & Means Committee, I spoke out against Republican efforts to eliminate an important legislative provision that would have helped provide older foster children with the documents they need to get a job or an education. You can read a news article about this issue by clicking here.

Unfortunately, Republicans on the Ways & Means Committee refused to include that provision to help foster youth because it costs about one million dollars a year -- that is "million" with an "m"-- on the same day that they approved six unpaid for bills to extend tax breaks for corporations that cost more than $310 billion--that's "billion" with an "b." Putting corporate tax breaks ahead of a modest amount of funding to address the needs of at risk kids reflects the wrong set of priorities. I will continue to work to provide the most vulnerable members of our society the assistance they need to lead successful, independent lives.

Preserving SSI Benefits for Children with Disabilities

In the Ways & Means Human Resources Subcommittee, of which I am the ranking member, we often discuss how children with disabilities would be affected by cuts to Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, benefits. SSI benefits are available to help low-income families with children who suffer from severe physical or mental disabilities or blindness to meet their basic needs. Only about one-tenth of children with disabilities receive SSI, and the benefits--about $600 a month on average for families with little or no income--are modest. These benefits help offset the cost of caring for severely disabled children, as well as the impact of lost wages felt by parents addressing their child's difficult impairments. SSI is particularly important in Texas, which has had more poor disabled children--about 130,000 --- receiving these benefits than any other State in the nation. As I said during this important hearing, "We can all agree on the need to improve and strengthen SSI outcomes, and I look forward to working on common-sense reforms. But we should reject any direct cuts in assistance to disabled children in the name of helping them. However great our nation's fiscal challenges, we must not balance our budget on the backs of poor disabled children."

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