SJR 1-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN 3:07:15 PM CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business would be SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 1, Relating to reauthorization of federal funding for children's health insurance; and encouraging the Governor to support additional funding for and access to children's health insurance. 3:07:44 PM RICHARD BENAVIDES, staff to Senator Bettye Davis, presented SJR 1, on behalf of the prime sponsor, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: SJR 1, Medical Assistance for Children states that the Alaska State Legislature urges our Congressional delegation to work diligently to achieve a timely reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and to continue federal medical assistance percentages (or FMAP) for the Denali KidCare program. Denali KidCare is Alaska's version of the state Children's Health Insurance program of SCHIP which was created in 1997 and is slated for reauthorization this year. It has been and continues to be a successful federal-state partnership, now covering over 4 million low-income children and enjoying bipartisan support. However, in the upcoming federal fiscal year, 17-18 states, among them Alaska, are projected to have insufficient federal SCHIP funding to sustain their existing SCHIP programs. According to various estimates by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Congressional Research Service and other independent analysts, these states will face an estimated $800 to $950 million in total funding shortfalls in 2007. Here in Alaska that shortfall could total over $12 million. Without additional federal funding to avert these shortfalls, Alaska, along with other states may have to reduce their SCHIP enrollment, placing health insurance coverage nationally for over 500,000 low- income children at risk. States may also be forced to enact harmful changes to their SCHIP programs, such as curtailing benefits, increasing beneficiary cost- sharing or reducing provider payments. Congress has acted in the past to address SCHIP shortfalls successfully and can do so again. To the end, with you permission I'd like to read the opening paragraph of the update in your packets from Families USA published on March 29th: "Before adjourning for their April recess, both the House and Senate passed their budget resolutions. Both chambers included a commitment of $50 billion for SCHIP. The $50 billion will go a long way toward meeting our goal of providing health coverage to the 9 million children in this country without health insurance. It shows that Congress places a high priority on reauthorizing SCHIP and on expanding coverage for children as we enter into the next phase of the debate over reauthorization." We ask your support of SJR 1 to add the Alaska State Legislature to the many voices urging our delegation and the rest of Congress to enact legislation immediately that provides additional SCHIP funding to ensure that all states have sufficient federal funding to sustain their existing SCHIP programs in FY 2007. 3:10:26 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked whether SJR 1 differs from the house companion resolution. MR. BENAVIDES opined that there is no difference. 3:10:42 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER moved to report SJR 1, 25-LS0476\A, out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, SJR 1 was reported out of House Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee. 3:11:01 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:10 p.m. to 3:11 p.m.