Date: 2010-12-02
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. Members of the House. today we take up a suspension that requires all participating child care feeding situations to run background checks on people participating in those settings. We do so in support of children across this country who are hungry and who dont have access to nutritious meals and who couldnt vote in November. and support of this legislation will allow us to pass a clean child nutrition bill. They are the ones who dont have a voice but need our help. Yesterday we postponed final consideration of the child nutrition legislation so we could fully address the issues of protecting our children while also ensuring passage of the child nutrition legislation. Our children cannot afford any more delays. Time is running out in this Congress. This bill before us today ensures. along with State and Federal laws. that all children will be protected in child care. I support this bill and hope that it will pass. In an effort to prevent passage of the child nutrition bill. the Republicans decided yesterday to offer a motion to kill the bill and unfortunately to play politics with two important issuesour childrens safety and our childrens health. Make no mistake about it: If we accept the motion to recommit. we will kill the child nutrition bill. Today. this House can take action to both keep children safe and keep them healthy by voting for this suspension. against the killer motion to recommit. and for the child nutrition bill. H.R. 6469 is identical to the background check provisions offered by the minority and will help ensure that our Nations children are protected from individuals with a history of criminal or abusive behavior. This legislation helps parents by giving them assurance that any child care provider participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program has undergone criminal background checks. Todays Federal law requires all participants in day care centers and homes that participate in the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program to be licensed and approved to provide care by State or local agencies. There is more to be done to keep children safe and in child care. and I hope the Republicans will join me in working to make this happen when we take up the reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant. In the area of background checks for child care programs. most States have acted already in some fashion. For example. all but two States require criminal background checks for child care center employees. Furthermore. all but seven States require screening for child abuse and neglect. This legislation goes a step further by ensuring comprehensive background checks have been done for the providers at all child care programs participating in the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program. This legislation is an important opportunity to vote in favor of protecting our Nations children from harm. I urge our colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation and later today to vote against the motion to recommit and for passage of the child nutrition bill. the Healthy. HungerFree Kids Act. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.