14.L11/4: S.hrg. 102-43 S. HRG. 102-43 CHILDREN AND YOUTH: THE CRISIS AT HOME FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION EXAMINING SERVICES AVAILABLE TO CHILDREN AND YOUTH FROM IMPOVERISHED FAMILIES, FOCUSING ON WAYS TO ENSURE THAT THEY GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, PREPARE THEM FOR THE WORKFORCE, AND/OR HELP THEM GET INTO COLLEGE January 15, 1991 Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office DOCUMENTS Liederman, David, executive director, The Child Welfare League of America Barthelemy, Hon. Sidney J., Mayor of New Orleans, and president, National League of Cities, prepared statement... Marineau, Susan G., second vice-president, chair, Research, Policy and Pro- gram Committee, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., prepared statement (with attachments)...... Todd, S. James, MD, executive vice president, American Medical Association, ADDITIONAL MATERIAL Articles, publications, letters, etc. Initiatives for Young Children and Families, 102nd Congress, submitted by Page 4 Women and Infant's Program: An Example of One-Stop Shopping, an article 17 CHILDREN AND YOUTH: THE CRISIS AT HOME FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1991 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:35 a.m., in room SD430, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Senators Kennedy, Dodd, Wellstone, Thurmond and Durenberger. OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR KENNEDY The CHAIRMAN. We'll come to order. Today is Martin Luther King's birthday, and although as a Nation we celebrate it next Monday, it is entirely appropriate that today we take notice of Dr. King's birthday and all of his work. He made a very noble crusade to strike down the barriers of discrimination in our country, a country in whose Constitution is inscribed the acceptance of slavery. We fought a great war, the Civil War, with extraordinary loss of life of our fellow citizens, and in the early 1960's we moved toward a peaceful revolution by striking down the barriers. We have made important progress-not all the progress that we would like-in understanding race, gender, and disability. But all too often we forget the strong commitment that Dr. King had to the most vulnerable in our society, the children, and particularly those children with the greatest need. We take note as we start this hearing, that children are the future of our Nation and also our most vulnerable citizens. If there is a responsibility of government, it is to protect their interests and ensure that in our society they are treated with the kind of dignity and fairness and justice on which this Nation is founded. Today, January 15, a day that may live in infamy, the eyes of the American people and citizens around the world are on the Persian Gulf. All of us hope diplomacy can lead us to a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Much is at stake. Decisions will soon be made that will profoundly affect the lives of millions of people in many different lands. But as we decide about war or peace in the desert, we must not forget that for millions of American children and families, the battle against poverty, poor health, hunger, homelessness and lack of opportunity is already being waged here at home. And in many significant respects the American people are losing that battle. (1) |