Below is the text of a message we sent out today. Please take a moment to write Senators Lugar and Bayh and tell them to listen to what Indiana needs:


It could be worse.
 
It's hard to imagine how things could be worse these days: between unemployment, the financial crisis, and the state of health care, it's no secret that Indiana is hurting.
 
But if you can believe it, there's a group that continues to fight ways to improve the lives of Hoosiers.  For years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has done all it can to stop working people in Indiana from getting ahead.
 
Click here to write to Senators Lugar and Bayh and tell them to listen to the needs of working people, not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
 
What would Indiana look like if the U.S. Chamber got its way through the years?  The picture isn't pretty.

• U.S. Chamber opposed the minimum wage hike in 2007.  About $148 million would be generated for 354,000 Hoosiers resulting from the 2007 schedule for minimum wage increases, research shows.  The U.S. Chamber says they have "consistently opposed increasing the federal minimum wage."

• U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for children.  66,200 Hoosier children would gain from the 2009 health care initiatives, studies indicate.  The U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for millions of uninsured children, including 131,000 in Indiana alone.

• U.S. Chamber consistently defends outsourcing jobs.  165,600 Indiana jobs were lost to outsourcing in 2007 alone.  The U.S. Chamber says that there are "legitimate values in outsourcing" and that Americans are "short of skills."

The U.S. Chamber's been on the wrong side of so many issues important to Hoosier families.  But that's just the beginning.

Just like they're going all out to stop health care reform, the U.S. Chamber is doing anything it can to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act - yesterday their lead lobbyist warned of "Armageddon on Capitol Hill."

Click here to write to Senators Lugar and Bayh and tell them to listen to working people, not the greedy CEOs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Why should Senators Lugar and Bayh listen to the same people who've tried to consistently hurt Hoosier families?

We need to make sure our senators know that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't have the best interests of our state in mind: just those of the same greedy CEOs that hurt our economy in the first place.

Click here to send a message to our senators now.
 
Thanks for writing to Senators Lugar and Bayh.  Your voice can make the difference.
 
In solidarity,
 
Tim Thomas
Indiana Change that Works
www.changethatworks.net/indiana
 

Read the entire US Chamber report here:

Below is the text of a message we sent out today. Please take a moment to write Senators Warner and Webb and tell them to listen to what Virginia needs:



It could be worse.
 
It's hard to imagine how things could be worse these days: between unemployment, the financial crisis, and the state of health care, it's no secret that Virginia is hurting.
 
But if you can believe it, there's a group that continues to fight ways to improve the lives of Virginians.  For years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has done all it can to stop working people in Virginia from getting ahead.
 
Click here to write to Senators Warner and Webb and tell them to listen to the needs of working people, not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
 
What would Virginia look like if the U.S. Chamber got its way through the years?  The picture isn't pretty.

• U.S. Chamber opposed the minimum wage hike in 2007.  About $185 million would be generated for 449,000 Virginians resulting from the 2007 schedule for minimum wage increases, research shows.  The U.S. Chamber says they have "consistently opposed increasing the federal minimum wage."

• U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for children.  79,500 Virginian children would gain from the 2009 health care initiatives, studies indicate.  The U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for millions of uninsured children, including 184,000 in Virginia alone.

• U.S. Chamber consistently defends outsourcing jobs.  87,800 Virginia jobs were lost to outsourcing in 2007 alone.  The U.S. Chamber says that there are "legitimate values in outsourcing" and that Americans are "short of skills."

The U.S. Chamber's been on the wrong side of so many issues important to Virginia's families.  But that's just the beginning.

Just like they're going all out to stop health care reform, the U.S. Chamber is doing anything it can to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act - yesterday their lead lobbyist warned of "Armageddon on Capitol Hill."

Click here to write to Senators Warner and Webb and tell them to listen to working people, not the greedy CEOs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Why should Senators Warner and Webb listen to the same people who've tried to consistently hurt Virginia's families?

We need to make sure our senators know that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't have the best interests of our state in mind: just those of the same greedy CEOs that hurt our economy in the first place.

Click here to send a message to our senators now. 
 
Thanks for writing to Senators Warner and Webb.  Your voice can make the difference.
 
In solidarity,
 
Jamiah Adams
Virginia Change that Works
www.changethatworks.net/virginia
 

Read the entire US Chamber report here:

Below is the text of a message we sent out today. Please take a moment to write Senators Landrieu and Vitter and tell them to listen to what Louisiana needs:

It could be worse.
 
It's hard to imagine how things could be worse these days: between unemployment, the financial crisis, and the state of health care, it's no secret that Louisiana is hurting.
 
But if you can believe it, there's a group that continues to fight ways to improve the lives of Louisianans.  For years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has done all it can to stop working people in Louisiana from getting ahead.
 
Click here to write to Senators Landrieu and Vitter and tell them to listen to the needs of working people, not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
 
What would Louisiana look like if the U.S. Chamber got its way through the years?  The picture isn't pretty.

• U.S. Chamber opposed the minimum wage hike in 2007.  About $160 million would be generated for 366,000 Louisianans resulting from the 2007 schedule for minimum wage increases, research shows.  The U.S. Chamber says they have "consistently opposed increasing the federal minimum wage."

• U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for children.  82,100 Louisianan children would gain from the 2009 health care initiatives, studies indicate.  The U.S. Chamber opposed a bill to expand health care coverage for millions of uninsured children, including 82,100 in Louisiana alone.

• U.S. Chamber consistently defends outsourcing jobs.  42,000 Louisiana jobs were lost to outsourcing in 2007 alone.  The U.S. Chamber says that there are "legitimate values in outsourcing" and that Americans are "short of skills."

The U.S. Chamber's been on the wrong side of so many issues important to Louisiana's families.  But that's just the beginning.

Just like they're going all out to stop health care reform, the U.S. Chamber is doing anything it can to oppose the Employee Free Choice Act - yesterday their lead lobbyist warned of "Armageddon on Capitol Hill."

Click here to write to Senators Landrieu and Vitter and tell them to listen to working people, not the greedy CEOs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Why should Senators Landrieu and Vitter listen to the same people who've tried to consistently hurt Louisiana's families?

We need to make sure our senators know that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't have the best interests of our state in mind: just those of the same greedy CEOs that hurt our economy in the first place.

Click here to send a message to our senators now. 
 
Thanks for writing to Senators Landrieu and Vitter.  Your voice can make the difference.
 
In solidarity,
 
Jamiah Adams
Louisiana Change that Works
www.changethatworks.net/louisiana
 

Read the entire US Chamber Report Here:

When CEOs in Washington decide the agenda of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they seem to forget all about real workers and business owners throughout America. For decades, they have fought legislation that would have a real impact on working families right here in Arkansas. With more than 95,000 Arkansans out of work, now is the time to do everything we can to stand up to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - and stand up for working families.

The U.S. Chamber opposed wage hikes that not only benefited hundreds of thousands of Arkansans but also pump more than $32 million into the state economy. They opposed a children's health care that will not only cover 45,800 more children in Arkansas, but also will create more than 2,700 jobs in the state. The U.S. Chamber doesn't speak for working families in Arkansas.

IMPACT OF MINIMUM WAGE HIKES ON ARKANSAS:

The U.S. Chamber "Has Consistently Opposed Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage." In July 2007, Marc Freedman, the labor law policy director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote, "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has consistently opposed increasing the federal minimum wage." He added, "Increasing the minimum wage does not even help those it is intended to benefit." [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/17/07]

U.S. Chamber Official on Wage Hike: "We Have Taken The Hell No Attitude." "We have taken the 'hell, no' attitude," said the U.S. Chamber's Randel Johnson discussing a proposed minimum wage increase in 1999. "I don't care what the 20-second sound bites say. This move hurts lower-income, lower-skilled workers."[Akron Beacon Journal, 6/21/99]

U.S. Chamber Official: "We Don't Think Government Ought to Be in the Business of Setting Wages." In 2002, U.S. Chamber spokesman Randy Johnson said, "We don't think the government ought to be in the business of setting wages." [Washington Times, 5/6/02]

U.S. Chamber: "Wage Mandates Ignore the Principles of Free Market Economies." In an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of Louisiana, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote, "Wage mandates ignore the principles of free market economies; they prevent businesses from making profits, growing and hiring more workers; and they base wages on what the worker wants instead of on the value of work performed." [The Pantagraph, 11/21/04]

2007 Minimum Wage Hike Could Pump $32.6 MILLION Into Arkansas' Economy. The average American works 1,916 hours every year. In 2007, 17,000 Arkansans earned at or below the federal minimum wage. With an increase from $6.25 an hour to $7.25 an hour by July 2009, the 2007 wage increase passed by Congress could pump $32.6 million into Arkansas' economy. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Work Schedules in the National Compensation Survey," 7/28/08; Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: 2007," 5/7/08; EPI, "What a new federal minimum wage means for the states," 5/25/07]

Study Found That 221,000 Arkansans Would Benefit From the 2007 Minimum Wage Hike. The Economic Policy Institute found that approximately 221,000 people in Arkansas alone would benefit from a federal minimum wage increase to $7.25 an hour. This include those workers that were earning less than $7.25 as well as workers that would benefit indirectly as other wages increase proportionately. EPI explained, "While a raise is not legally mandated for these workers, empirical evidence shows that many employers raise the wages of workers earning above the new minimum wage in order to preserve internal wage structures, an occurrence known as the 'spillover effect.'" [EPI, "Issue Guide on Minimum Wage, 8/1/08]

IMPACT OF FAIR PAY LAWS ON ARKANSAS:

U.S. Chamber Opposed Equal Pay Bill, Saying it Would "Undermine America's Civil Rights Laws." In a January 2009 letter to Congress, R. Bruce Josten of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote that the U.S. Chamber opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill to protect workers who receive unfair pay for equal work, "on both substantive and procedural grounds." Discussing another fair pay bill this year, the Chamber's Randel Johnson said, "further increasing the opportunity for frivolous litigation would only further serve to undermine America's civil rights laws." [Chamber Letter, 1/14/09; Chamber Press Release, 1/9/09]

U.S. Chamber Opposed 1998 Equal Pay Law for Women. In 1998, the U.S. Chamber opposed President Clinton's call for legislation to strengthen laws reducing disparities in men and women's earning power. Randel Johnson, vice president of labor policy at the chamber, said that wage disparities are due mainly to the interruption of many women's job careers to raise families. "Work experience does tend to translate to greater wages," Johnson said. [AP, 6/10/98]

Women in Arkansas Earn Only 74% Of What Their Male Counterparts Make, Below the National Average. According to a study released by the National Women's Law Center, "In 2007, on average, women in Arkansas working full-time, year-round earned only 74% of what men working full-time, year-round earned -- four percentage points below the nationwide average of 78%. The wage gap is even more substantial when race and gender are considered together. White, non-Hispanic women working full-time, year-round in Arkansas earned only 72% of the wages of White, non-Hispanic men. However, Black women working full-time, year-round in Arkansas earned only 57%, and Hispanic women only 51%, of the wages of White, non-Hispanic men." [National Women's Law Center, April 2009]

IMPACT OF OUTSOURCING ON ARKANSAS:

U.S. Chamber President Defended Outsourcing of U.S. Jobs, Arguing That Americans Are "Short of Skills." Defending outsourcing in 2004, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said, "The big fundamental issue that we need to understand is we are short of skills in this country. Five years from now we'll have 10 million skilled jobs and we haven't got the people to fill." [CNNFN, 5/3/04]

U.S. Chamber President: "There Are Legitimate Values in Outsourcing." In 2004, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said, "there are legitimate values in outsourcing -- not only jobs, but work -- to gain technical experience and benefit we don't have here, to lower the price of products, which means more and more of them are brought into the United States, used, for example, I.T., much broader use than it was 10 years ago, create more and more jobs. But the bottom line is that we outsource very few jobs in relation to the size of our economy. We employ -- American companies employ 140 million Americans. They provide health care for 160 million Americans. They provide training in terms of 40 billion a year. The outsourcing deal over three or four or five years and the two or three sets of numbers are only going to be, you know, maybe two, maybe three million jobs, maybe four." [CNNFN, 2/10/04]

U.S. Chamber President Suggested More Jobs Were Brought In to the U.S. Than Outsourced to Other Countries. In 2004, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue said, "nobody knows where Lou got 2.2 [million] outsourced jobs. Maybe we've got 300,000 in the last couple of years. The most interesting thing is that if you take an annual basis, we insource in the very same categories of work $16 billion more than we outsourced, which is 2 million jobs." [CNNFN, 9/2/04]

In 2007 Alone, Arkansas Lost 62,200 jobs to Outsourcing. According to a study from the Economic Policy Institute, Arkansas lost 62,200 jobs as a result of the U.S. non-oil trade deficit in 2007 alone. Nationwide, 5.6 million jobs were lost. 70% of these jobs were in the manufacturing sector. [EPI, 10/2/08]

Arkansas Has Lost More Than 85,000 Manufacturing Jobs Since 2000. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in April 2009, there were 167,300 manufacturing jobs in Arkansas. In January 2000, 252,800 Arkansans worked in the manufacturing sector. [BLS, 5/22/09; 3/28/00]

IMPACT OF CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE ON ARKANSAS:

Chamber Opposed 2009 Bill to Expand Children's Health Care. In a January 2009 letter to Congress, R. Bruce Josten of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged members to vote against the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009, writing that the bill "raises taxes on a narrow sector of the U.S. economy with the aim of funding a broad-based entitlement program, which is grossly unfair and burdensome to American businesses and consumers." [Chamber Letter, 1/14/09]

Chamber Opposed 2007 Bill to Expand Children's Health Care. In September 2007, the Phoenix Business Journal reported, "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is opposing a federal plan to raise tobacco taxes to fund government-provided health services for uninsured children. That puts the U.S. Chamber on the same side of the issue as the Bush administration." "To prejudice a narrow sector of the U.S. economy with the aim of funding a broad-based entitlement program is grossly unfair and burdensome to American businesses and consumers," said the chamber in a letter to congressional leaders on the issue. [Phoenix Business Journal, 9/26/07; Chamber Letter, 7/17/07]

45,800 Arkansas Children Could Gain Coverage Under the 2009 SCHIP Expansion. A 2009 report from Families USA found that 45,800 Arkansas children could be covered under the 2009 bill to expand and reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program. [Families USA, January 2009]

Children's Health Care Reauthorization Will Bring $547 Million Into Arkansas, Creating 2,702 Jobs. In 2007, a Families USA study found: "With $50 billion in additional federal funding for SCHIP and Medicaid, SCHIP reauthorization could bring Arkansas approximately $547 million in new federal funding for children's health coverage over the next five years. This would result in the state getting three times the amount it would have otherwise gotten for SCHIP... Over the next five years, $547 million in new federal funding will create: $208.4 million in increased business activity, $77 million in increased wages, and 2,702 additional jobs for Arkansas." [Families USA, May 2007]

IMPACT OF MEDICARE ON ARKANSAS:

Chamber Opposed 2008 Bill to Prevent Medicare Cuts. In June 2008, R. Bruce Josten of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote that the Chamber opposed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, S. 3101, because it would cut the Medicare Advantage program. Referring to the bill, and the cuts to the private insurance Medicare Advantage program, the American Medical Association aired an ad saying "A group of U.S. senators voted to protect the powerful insurance companies at the expense of Medicare patients' access to doctors." [Chamber Letter, 6/12/08; AP, 7/2/08]

457,394 Medicare Beneficiaries, Along With 99,997 Military Members and Their Families, Would Have Been Affected If 2008 Medicare Cuts Had Gone Through. In 2008, the Chamber opposed a bill that prevented a 10.6% cut in Medicare payments to doctors. According to the American Medical Association, 457,394 Medicare patients and 99,997 TRICARE patients in Arkansas would have been affected by these cuts. [American Medical Association, February 2009]

IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON ARKANSAS:

U.S. Chamber Opposed the 1935 Social Security Act. According to an official history of Social Security, "In 1935, while there were long debate and votes on many amendments, the Congress passed the Social Security Act by an overwhelming majority. In the House, the vote was 372 yeas, 33 nays and 25 not voting. The vote in the Senate was equally positive, with 77 yeas, 6 nays and 12 not voting. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Act into law on August 14, 1935. Despite the strong support, there was vocal opposition to the Act, both in the Congress and externally. The minority members of the House Ways and Means Committee said it would impose a crushing burden upon industry and upon labor. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers opposed the bill." [SSA History: History of SSA 1993-2000]

U.S. Chamber Wanted to Postpone 1935 Social Security Act. In June 1935, the New York Times reported on a "broad program for recovery and re-employment" adopted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. On Social Security, they reported, "The chamber will continue to advocate that enactment of the major features of the pending social security legislation be postponed until there can be further examination by a Congressional committee. If a study of this character is made, the chamber will present to such a committee its views as to the constitutionality of the legislation as proposed and will emphasize the fact that the proposals now pending would double the entire present volume of Federal taxes." [New York Times, 6/16/35]

U.S. Chamber President: Any Social Security Reform "Must" Include Privatization. In June 2005, Thomas J. Donohue, President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, co-wrote an op-ed that stated, "any Social Security reform must meet four core principles," including "Giving younger workers the option of investing part of their payroll taxes in personal retirement accounts." In January 2005, Donohue "said a Social Security overhaul is 'doable' this year and said the Chamber believes 'individual investment accounts must be an important component of reform.' [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 6/7/05; National Journal's CongressDaily, 1/5/05]

If Social Security Were Privatized, Arkansas Would Lose At Least $2.1 BILLION Every Year. According to a 2005 report by the National Women's Law Center, "In 2002, $4.7 billion flowed into the Arkansas economy through Social Security benefits." If the cuts expected under President Bush's plan were to take effect currently, "Arkansas would lose $2.1 billion per year, even including the proceeds from private accounts. This amount is equivalent to 18% of state government expenditures in fiscal year 2002 (state government expenditures include money generated from state funds, federal funds, and the sale of state bonds)." [National Women's Law Center, February 2005]

Privatizing Social Security Would Impose an $8.4 BILLION Unfunded Mandate on Arkansas. According to the Institute for America's Future in 2005, the Bush Social Security privatization plan would create a new $8.4 billion unfunded federal mandate on the state of Arkansas and would plunge at least 66,000 Arkansas seniors into poverty. [Institute for America's Future, April 2005]

Women in Arkansas Would Be Hard Hit If Social Security Were Privatized, With Widow's Benefit Dropping $4,068 Per Year. According to a 2005 report by the National Women's Law Center, "The typical recipient of a Social Security widow's benefit in Arkansas receives $754 per month ($9,048 per year). According to the Congressional Budget Office, under Plan 2 of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, today's kindergarteners are projected to receive 45% less than they are promised under current law, even when the proceeds from their private accounts are included in the total. If such a benefit cut were to take effect currently, the typical widow in Arkansas would receive only $415 per month ($4,980 per year), an amount equal to only 58% of the poverty line." [National Women's Law Center, February 2005]

IMPACT OF WORKER SAFETY ON ARKANSAS:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vigorously Opposed Occupational Safety Regulations. In an article written between the initial bill supported by President Johnson and the second bill, that passed, supported by President Nixon, the New York Times reported: "The first legislation providing for a comprehensive nationwide system of health and safety standards was proposed last year by President Johnson. Strongly supported by labor, the bill ran into immediate and vigorous opposition from industry, led by the Chamber of Commerce of the United States." [New York Times, 12/10/69]

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce "led the fight to defeat the 1968 bill." [New York Times, 3/19/70]

U.S. Chamber Argued That OSHA Was a Failure. In 1979, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce charged "that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had failed to reduce worker injuries and illnesses significantly since its inception in 1970." Mark De Bernardo of the Chamber wrote, "In the wake of piles of more O.S.H.A. rules and paperwork, fatal injuries on the job soared by more than 24 percent from 1976 to 1977." [New York Times, 8/27/79]

U.S. Chamber Spokesman Said OSHA Is a "Blatant Denial of Fundamental Fairness." When describing the structure of the Labor Department within the Executive Branch rather than the Judicial Branch of the government, Richard Berman, then director of labor law for the United States Chamber of Commerce, said "This has a chilling effect on an employer's exercise of his right to appeal and is thus a blatant denial of fundamental fairness." Berman now runs the Center for Union Facts, a corporate front group trying to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act. [U.S. News & World Report, 11/24/75; New York Times, 1/9/09]

In 2007, 3.9 Workplace Injuries Were Reported for Every 100 Workers in Arkansas. In 2007, there were 3.9 cases of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses for every 100 workers in Arkansas. In addition, 89 Arkansans reportedly died as a result of workplace injuries in 2007. [BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2007; BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2007]

According to the most recent estimates from the Census Bureau, 8.6 million children in the United States lacked health coverage in 2007. Last year, Congress debated and passed two pieces of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which would have reduced the number of uninsured children by almost half and expanded health coverage throughout the nation to as many as 4 million additional uninsured children. President Bush vetoed both bills.

According to Families USA, the vast majority of uninsured children come from families where at least one parent works (88.2 percent), and more than two-thirds of uninsured children--or 68.5 percent--live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round. And more than half of the nation's uninsured children come from low-income families with incomes below twice the poverty level, who are likely eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP.

So although the Bush Administration proclaimed it would "leave no child behind" when it comes to education, 8.6 million American children - a majority of whom are from working families - are being left behind because they lack health coverage. "The sad reality is that kids who don't have health insurance are far more likely to get sidetracked--right at the beginning of their lives--because their families can't afford quality care," said SEIU Healthcare chair Dennis Rivera.

During the current economic downturn as working families are struggling to make ends meet, no one should have to choose between health care for their kids and making a mortgage or rent payment. Hopefully, things will be looking up for the nation's uninsured children in the near future, as the new Administration and president-elect Barack Obama are widely expected to push for eligibility expansions for SCHIP, which is up for reauthorization anyway in the spring.

Rising Tide of Support for SCHIP

Two-thirds of the public (82 percent) supports SCHIP renewal and extending children's health benefits to legal immigrant children, according to a poll released yesterday by child advocacy group First Focus. Key poll results also show that 67 percent of respondents favored eliminating the five-year waiting period for legal immigrant children, while 19 percent were opposed. [SCHIP is not available to legal immigrants during their first five years in the country, with the exception of those living in states that use state funds to cover legal immigrants who qualify.]

Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) hailed the poll as evidence of the nation's broad, bipartisan support for renewal of the SCHIP program, which expires in March, 2009.

Senator Harry Reid at the announcement:

"The findings announced today confirmed what we knew over a year ago - Americans support providing children with health care coverage and they understand the importance of removing the five-year waiting period for coverage for legal immigrant children and pregnant women."

Senator Rockefeller:

"I look forward to working with President-elect Obama and the Congressional leadership to quickly reauthorize CHIP so that millions of uninsured children - including legal immigrant children - receive the health coverage they need."

Poll respondents favored expanding SCHIP by a margin of 79-15 to ensure that all children in America, including legal immigrant children, have health care coverage.

"In the debate of 2007, Republicans used the coverage of legal immigrant children against expanding the children's health insurance program," said First Focus spokesperson Christopher Spina to CQ yesterday. "We clearly now see a mandate among the American people."

More findings from the First Focus poll.