WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Betty Sutton voted to pass H.R. 2, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act, through the House of Representatives. The legislation passed the Senate on January 29, 2009 and will now be sent to President Barack Obama. This legislation renews and improves SCHIP, which will now provide health care coverage for 11 million children across the Nation.It passed the House by a margin of 290 to 135. Congresswoman Sutton released the following statement:

"Today's legislation is long overdue. It will help ensure that all of our children will have the opportunity to access the health care they need. When this bill is signed into law, 4 million additional children across the country will be able to obtain health insurance, including almost 120,000 children in Ohio.

Currently, nearly 9 million children in our country do not have health insurance - a staggering number. And while that number should be hard for anyone to digest, we must remember that 9 million is not just a statistic. They are vulnerable American children who are living without the security of health coverage. It has often been said that the measure of a country's greatness is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and today our country can be proud of what we have done for our children.

The timing for this legislation could not be more urgent. With an ailing economy, the population of uninsured is growing. And we know that a one percent increase in unemployment is projected to increase the number of uninsured by 1.1 million. In these difficult economic times, we should make sure that our children have access to the healthcare they deserve. I have always been a supporter of this program and am proud to support it again today. I commend President Obama for his swift action on behalf of our nation's children."

Click here to view Congresswoman Sutton's floor statement from when this legislation was first before the House of Representatives

The State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) was created in 1997 to provide health care coverage for children in families that earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to afford private insurance. It has proven to be a successful and cost-effective program for providing health care to our nation's children.

H.R. 2 renews and improves SCHIP, providing health care coverage for a total of 11 million children. It preserves coverage for the 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP and extends coverage to 4 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for, but not enrolled in, SCHIP and Medicaid. More than 230,000 children in Ohio are currently covered by SCHIP and today's legislation will allow 119,000 more children to obtain coverage.

H.R. 2 reauthorizes SCHIP for four and a half years, through Fiscal Year 2013.