IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 142
To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal 
investment in programs that provide health care services to uninsured 
and low-income individuals in medically underserved areas should be 
increased to serve 20,000,000 individuals by 2006. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2003
Mr. CAPUANO (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. TOWNS, 
Mr. OLVER, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. BELL, Mr. 
ABERCROMBIE, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. MCNULTY, Ms. 
SLAUGHTER, Mr. CASE, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. LEE, Ms. JACK-
SON-LEE of Texas, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. MATSUI, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. 
GREENWOOD, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, 
Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. ROSS, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. 
SIMMONS, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. DOOLEY of California, Mr. FRANK of Mas-
sachusetts, Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. ROYBAL-AL-
LARD, and Mr. FILNER) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
RESOLUTION 
To express the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Federal investment in programs that provide health 
care services to uninsured and low-income individuals 
in medically underserved areas should be increased to 
serve 20,000,000 individuals by 2006.
Whereas the uninsured population in the United States is ap-
proximately 43,000,000 and is estimated to reach over 
53,000,000 by 2007;
•HRES 142 IH 
Whereas nearly 80 percent of the uninsured population con-
sists of members of working families who cannot afford 
health insurance or cannot access employer-provided 
health insurance plans; 
Whereas minority populations, rural residents, and single-
parent families represent a disproportionate number of 
the uninsured population; 
Whereas the problem of health care access for the uninsured 
population is compounded in many urban and rural com-
munities by a lack of providers who are available to serve 
both insured and uninsured populations; 
Whereas community, migrant, homeless, and public housing 
health centers have proven uniquely qualified to address 
the lack of adequate health care services for uninsured 
populations, serving more than 5,000,000 uninsured pa-
tients in 2002; 
Whereas health centers care for nearly 14,000,000 patients, 
including nearly 9,000,000 minorities, nearly 850,000 
farmworkers, and almost 750,000 homeless individuals 
each year; 
Whereas health centers provide cost-effective comprehensive 
primary and preventive care to uninsured individuals for 
approximately $1.00 per day, or $350 annually, and help 
to reduce the inappropriate use of costly emergency 
rooms and inpatient hospital care; 
Whereas current resources only allow health centers to serve 
more than 12 percent of the Nation’s 43,000,000 unin-
sured individuals; 
Whereas past investments to increase health center access 
have resulted in better health, an improved quality of life
•HRES 142 IH 
for all Americans, and a reduction in national health care 
expenditures; 
Whereas Congress can act now to increase access to health 
care services for uninsured and low-income people to-
gether with or in advance of health care coverage pro-
posals by expanding the availability of services at commu-
nity, migrant, homeless, and public housing health cen-
ters; and 
Whereas the President has proposed to double the number of 
people served by health centers: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Resolution to 
Expand Access to Community Health Centers Initiative’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 
It is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
appropriations for consolidated health centers under sec-
tion 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
254b) should be increased by 100 percent during the pe-
riod of fiscal years 2001 through 2006 in order to double 
the number of individuals who receive health care services 
at community, migrant, homeless, and public housing 
health centers.
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