Madame President, I rise today to talk about Pennsylvania's nationally-acclaimed Children's Health Insurance Program and to mark the 15^th year of this landmark initiative.

It was, in fact, 15 years ago this Friday, on November 23, 1992 --during what was a very tumultuous time in this Senate as our Party, the Democratic Party, had gained operational control of this chamber by a very slim majority -- that we paused long enough in the midst of what was a very turbulent time -- and voted 48 to 1 to make history with our passage of Pennsylvania's CHIP program.

It was, in fact, the first bill brought to a vote in this Senate by the then fledgling state Senate Democratic Majority -- a majority that lasted all-too-briefly in many a mind -- but it, nonetheless, was a huge and overwhelming bipartisan vote for the children of our Commonwealth -- to give kids from families who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance the quality health care they deserve.

And Pennsylvania's initiative, signed into law about a week later -- on December 2, 1992 -- by our departed friend, the late Governor Robert P. Casey, became a model for the nation.

In fact, it was our landmark law that was used as a guide five years later as the federal government became a partner in this effort and as President Bill Clinton, in 1997, penned his signature on the federal government's State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Together, Madame President -- with our state and federal programs, and according to the Insurance Department's best estimate -- more than 640,000 Pennsylvania children -- Pennsylvania kids who otherwise would have gone without health care -- have received coverage through CHIP since this Senate took the action that we did 15-years-ago this Friday.

And, as we all know, we haven't rested on our laurels.

Last year, under the leadership of our current Governor, Ed Rendell, this Senate voted 50 to 0 to responsibly expand coverage to more low-to-moderate income children from families who cannot pay the exorbitant cost of private health insurance.

And today, Madame President, our new "Cover All Kids" law is -- once again -- serving as a model for the nation.

Our new law -- which received a stamp of approval from the Bush administration in February of this year, despite our President's subsequent and inexplicable about-face in vetoing the bipartisan compromise S-CHIP funding and reauthorization measure sent to him by Congress -- is today providing a record 165,831 Pennsylvania children with the health care they deserve. 

In fact, because of our collective action, some 20,000 more Pennsylvania children are receiving health care today through CHIP than there were just a year ago.  That's a 15 percent increase over 2006.

As before, our new law provides free coverage to children from families earning below 200 percent of poverty (currently up to $41,300 for a family of four). 

But the new provisions expanded low-cost subsidized coverage to children from families earning up to 300 percent of poverty (up to $61,950 for a family of four) whereby the parents of these children -- on a sliding scale based on their individual income -- pay monthly premiums ranging from $38 to $60 per child for CHIP coverage.  And, for families who earn above 300 percent of poverty, our law contains provisions to allow those families to enroll their uninsured children in CHIP "at cost" of about $150 per child per month.

It's a good program, Madame President.  And it's a program that I hope the parents of Pennsylvania children who still lack health insurance will take the time -- if they haven't already done so -- to check out.

It is also, Madame President, a demonstration and an excellent example of what this General Assembly and General Assemblies past and what this administration and administrations past, can accomplish for the people we represent when we work together.

To paraphrase our late Governor, Robert P. Casey, there is nothing that we can't do if "we put our heads together, instead of banging them together."

And, with respect to the still-unresolved struggle at the federal level on the issue of reauthorization of the S-CHIP program, it is my hope that our President will finally see the light on this issue (as even Republican Senators Charles Grassley and Orrin Hatch have suggested)...and take a page out of this Senate's workbook of 15 years ago that even during some of the most difficult, political times...we can come together to do what's right for people...and put politics aside.

Thank you, Madame President.  And, my best wishes to all for a Happy Thanksgiving.