Letter to Max Baucus, Senate Finance Committee Chairman; Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member Senate Finance Committee

Letter

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, in a letter to Senate Finance Committee leaders, on Tuesday urged that any extension of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will not withhold funds Texas relies upon for current and future needs of its program. Sen. Cornyn reiterated his support for responsible reauthorization and expansion of the program.

"Reauthorization of SCHIP is extremely important to Texas. The original intent of this program is sound—providing health insurance to low-income children," Sen. Cornyn said. "This past year, Gov. Perry and the State Legislature took steps to enroll significantly more of these low-income children in SCHIP. In the absence of a bill that covers low-income children first, I am urging leaders of the Senate Finance Committee to ensure an extension will not restrict any current or future Texas funds."

--Below is the letter Sen. Cornyn sent to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa--

December 11, 2007

Dear Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley:

I strongly support responsible reauthorization and expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). I have voted this year to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, it appears increasingly unlikely that Congress will pass a bill the President can sign into law by the end of the year. In the event Congress passes an extension rather than a reauthorization, I support additional funding above the current baseline to allow states to cover the originally intended population of low-income children. However, I strongly oppose any new policy that would jeopardize the funds Texas currently has or is expected to receive.

In the most recent legislative session, the Texas State Legislature passed House Bill 109, addressing key enrollment and eligibility issues in the Texas SCHIP program. As a result, SCHIP in Texas has substantially increased its enrollment, which had previously dropped due to budget difficulties from a high of 529,000 in May 2002 to a low of 291,000 in September 2006. But since August of this year, more than 40,000 children have been enrolled in SCHIP. In addition, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission expects this number to grow as outreach and enrollment efforts are increased.

If Congress were to enact a long-term extension with new policy that confiscates previously unused funds or alters the expected allocation, these gains in states like Texas would likely be lost.

Thank you in advance for your careful consideration of this issue and for your continued support of the SCHIP program.

Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator

Sen. Cornyn serves on the Armed Services, Judiciary and Budget Committees. In addition, he is Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Border Security and Refugees subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's Airland subcommittee. He served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge.

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