IV

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 233

Expressing the sense of the Congress that any health care reform legislation

passed by the Congress include guaranteed full funding for the special

supplemental food program for women, infants, and children (WIC) so

that all eligible women, infants, and children who apply could be served

by the end of fiscal year 1996 and full funding could be maintained

through fiscal year 2000, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 24, 1994

Mr. KILDEE (for himself and Mr. EMERSON) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and

Labor

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that any health care

reform legislation passed by the Congress include guaranteed full funding for the special supplemental food

program for women, infants, and children (WIC) so that

all eligible women, infants, and children who apply could

be served by the end of fiscal year 1996 and full funding

could be maintained through fiscal year 2000, and for

other purposes.

Whereas the special supplemental food program for women,

infants, and children (WIC) established under section 17

of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786)
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•HCON 233 IH

saves medical costs by preventing low birth weight, reducing anemia, and increasing immunizations;

Whereas a study conducted by the General Accounting Office

concluded that WIC reduces the incidence of very low

birth weight by 44 percent;

Whereas a 1993 study conducted by the Department of Agriculture found that the savings attributable to WIC in

1987 due to reducing very low birth weight ranged from

$2,300,000 in Florida to $4,500,000 in North Carolina

in medical assistance costs under title XIX of the Social

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.);

Whereas a study released by the Secretary of Agriculture in

1991 demonstrated that for each dollar spent on a pregnant woman under the WIC program, the associated savings in medical assistance costs for avoided illnesses beginning in the first 60 days after birth ranged from

$1.92 to $4.21 for newborns and mothers and from

$2.98 to $4.75 for newborns only;

Whereas a study conducted by the General Accounting Office

found that WIC benefits provided to all eligible pregnant

women would more than pay for themselves in 1 year and

would avert more than $1,000,000,000 in health-related

costs over an 18-year period;

Whereas the WIC program reduces iron deficiency anemia,

which affects nearly 25 percent of poor children in the

United States and is associated with impaired cognitive

development and increases in the risk of lead poisoning;

Whereas the WIC program reduces fetal death and infant

mortality;
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•HCON 233 IH

Whereas the United States ranks below 20 other countries in

infant mortality rates and behind 73 other countries in

percentage of infants born at low birth weight;

Whereas the Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty,

and Nutrition Policy found that even short-term

undernutrition jeopardizes the physical health, brain development, and cognitive functioning of young children;

Whereas 4- and 5-year olds whose mothers participated in

the WIC program during pregnancy demonstrate higher

vocabulary test scores, and children who participated in

the WIC program after the 1st birthday of the children

score higher on memory tests;

Whereas in 1991 corporate executive officers of 5 major corporations testified at a congressional hearing about the

need to fully fund the WIC program by 1996 and concluded that ‘‘each pregnant woman, infant, and child who

could benefit from WIC but is left out of the program

represents a potential drain on budgetary outlays in subsequent years and on our Nation’s future economic

growth, not to mention a tragic loss in human potential’’;

Whereas more than 3,000,000 women, infants, and children

are eligible but are not currently served by the WIC program; and

Whereas 1994 is the 20th anniversary of the WIC program:

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring),

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘A Child is Wait5 ing Resolution’’.
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•HCON 233 IH

1 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON FULL FUNDING FOR WIC

2 PROGRAM.

3 It is the sense of the Congress that—

4 (1) any health care reform legislation passed by

5 the Congress include guaranteed full funding for the

6 special supplemental food program for women, in7 fants, and children (WIC) established under section

8 17 of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.

9 1786) so that all eligible women, infants, and chil10 dren who apply could be served by the end of fiscal

11 year 1996 and full funding could be maintained

12 through fiscal year 2000; and

13 (2) at least $3,564,000,000, should be made

14 available for fiscal year 1995 to move toward the full

15 funding goal described in paragraph (1).

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