{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcgarvey-introduces-bill-to-better-support-children-in-policymaking", "Rep. McGarvey Introduces Bill to Better Support Children in Policymaking", "2024-09-27", "2024", "2024-09", "Democrat", "House", "KY", "Morgan McGarvey", "M001220", "mcgarvey.house.gov", "mcgarvey", "https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 27, 2024) \u2013 Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) introduced the Child Safety and Well-Being Act, which would establish a long-overdue and much-needed independent children\u2019s commission to advise Congress, agencies, and states on how best to support children. The legislation was co-led by his colleagues Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Chair of the Babies Caucus; Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Chair of the Dad Caucus; Sara Jacobs (CA-51); and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chair of the Mamas Caucus.\n\n\u201cOur communities can only thrive if our children thrive,\u201d said Congressman Morgan McGarvey. \u201cRight now, we\u2019re seeing increased rates of child poverty and food insecurity, declining child literacy, and high rates of illness and mortality among our kids\u2014we need bold action to address these issues. A national commission on children would help identify the biggest challenges facing kids and families so that the federal government can better support and care for the next generation. We can\u2019t afford inaction.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen crafting policy, stakeholders often have a seat at the table to advise on the interests of their industry,\u201d said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. \u201cSadly, our nation\u2019s children are often excluded. Our children are our future, and that future is only secure when they are prioritized in policymaking. That's why I\u2019m joining my colleagues to introduce the Child Safety and Well-Being Act, which will establish an independent children\u2019s commission to ensure policymakers consider children\u2019s best interests.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs founder of the Dads Caucus, I'm committed to doing all possible to ensure the wellbeing of kids and families. Today's youth face new challenges that we couldn\u2019t have imagined even a decade ago, and we have to make sure all of the federal policies that we create keep kids in mind,\u201d said Congressman Jimmy Gomez. \u201cI\u2019m proud to co-lead this bill with fellow Dads Caucus member Rep. McGarvey, and to work to create a Children\u2019s Commission that will help ensure legislation on everything from gun violence prevention to education to health care and beyond centers the needs of our nation\u2019s youngest generations.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur country's children face unique challenges from the gun violence epidemic to childhood poverty to the climate crisis, and yet, they're too often left out of policy conversations,\u201d said Congresswoman Sara Jacobs. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s long overdue to revive a National Commission on Children to solely focus on the needs of children and strategize on how to best support their health, safety, well-being, and success. I\u2019m proud to co-lead the Child Safety and Well-Being Act to help ensure that the next generation of leaders know we understand the problems they face and we\u2019re mobilizing to solve them.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs Chair of the Congressional Mamas\u2019 Caucus, I know how critical it is to ensure that every child has the resources they need to reach their full potential,\u201d said Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. \u201cOur children, especially marginalized youth, deserve to lead healthy and thriving lives which means that we must ensure that their needs and best interests are represented in every level of decision-making. I am proud to co-lead this legislation to uplift the voices of our most vulnerable children and families who deserve every opportunity to thrive.\u201d\n\n\"Our children lack political power and are often invisible in policy debates,\u201d said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children. \u201cWe strongly support this legislation by Rep. Morgan McGarvey, which will provide children with a needed voice that prioritizes their well-being and amplifies their needs. Establishing a Commission for Children is a critical step toward ensuring that government and policymakers no longer overlook the rights, safety, and future opportunities of our nation\u2019s children. This Commission would provide the focus and coordination needed to make children\u2019s issues a greater priority in our national agenda, protect them from harm and foster environments where they can thrive.\"\n\n\u201cUNICEF USA believes all children have the right to be healthy, educated, protected, and respected,\u201d said Michael Nyenhuis, President and CEO, UNICEF USA. \u201cThe Child Safety and Well-Being Act of 2024 puts the interests of children at the forefront of policymaking and ensures youth voices are heard.\u201d\n\nThe Child Safety and Well-Being Act would:\n\nEstablish a 15-member Children\u2019s Commission: The Commission would appoint an independent Children\u2019s Commissioner to evaluate how federal policy affects children\u2019s well-being, monitor the development and implementation of laws affecting children, and inform Congress and the states on the views and interests of children. Members of the Commission would include a mix of different professions, broad geographic representation, and diverse racial and ethnic representation to reflect the demographic makeup of children and marginalized youth in the nation.\n\nRepresent the views and interests of children and marginalized youth: The Commission would advise Congress, agencies, and states on policies impacting child well-being, publish reports on matters relating to the interests of children and marginalized youth, examine international issues impacting children domestically and abroad, collaborate, and when appropriate, coordinate with children\u2019s commissioners in the states and in other countries. It would also recommend specific measures for creating an environment in which all children have the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.\n\nGrant the Commissioner authority: The Commissioner would have the authority to hold hearings, secure necessary information from government agencies related to the goals of the Commission, submit policy recommendations to Congress, collect and access data from federal agencies, conduct studies on child impact statements, and ensure all reports are made publicly available and accessible to children and families.\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nMore than 30 years ago (in 1991), a previous National Commission on Children that was created during the Reagan Administration delivered its final report to the George H.W. Bush Administration and Congress. That report served as a catalyst for enacting groundbreaking bipartisan legislation for children and families, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and changes to child welfare policy.\n\nCompared to our peer nations, the U.S. performs poorly in terms of child poverty and other indicators of child well-being. The November 2017 GAO report on child well-being said it best when it stated, \u201cthe long-term success of a nation depends in large part on how well families and society care for their children.\u201d\n\nA fact sheet is available here.\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\nOriginal cosponsors include: Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR- 01), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Dina Titus (NV-01), Nydia M. Vel\u00e1zquez (NY-07), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).\n\nThe Child Safety and Well-Being Act is endorsed by First Focus Campaign on Children, American Psychological Association, Child Labor Coalition, GLSEN, MomsRising, National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Women's Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Save the Children, Teach For America, UNICEF USA, 11:11 Media Impact, ACTION Ohio (Alumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now), Bank Information Center, Bethany Christian Services, Center for Childhood & Youth Studies, Children First, Children Now, Children\u2019s Rights, Coalition on Human Needs, Comic Relief US, Committee for Children, Disability Rights International, EDGE Consulting Partners, Education for All Coalition, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Families USA, Family Focused Treatment Association, Family Promise, Futures Without Violence, Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children's Issues, Global Campaign for Education-US, Human Rights for Kids, Jewish Women International, Kentucky Youth Advocates, Kids Impact Initiative, Kids in Need of Defense, Leading for Kids, Learning Disabilities Association of America, Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., Media Voices for Children, Miracle Foundation, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, National Diaper Bank Network, National League for Nursing, Office of Colorado's Child Protection Ombudsman, Partnership for Early Childhood Development & Disability Rights (PECDDR), Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK), RISE Institute, School-Based Health Alliance, SchoolHouse Connection, The Arc of the United States, The Children's Partnership, Together for Girls, and the United Church of Christ.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:43:57Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-mcgarvey-introduces-bill-to-better-support-children-in-policymaking"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.26249685510993, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}