Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Highlights:

• Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for CHIP (Sec. 101).

• Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections (Sec. 104).

• Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 (Sec. 112).

• Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements (Sec. 111).

• Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign (Sec. 201).

• Permits states to verify citizenship or nationality as a requirement for inclusion in Medicaid and CHIP programs, and requires that no funds in this act may go towards payments for individuals who are not legal residents. (Sec. 211).

• Requires employers to allow 26 work weeks of leave for certain family members responsible for the care of a recovering member of the armed services, and forbids employers from denying the family member employment, promotion or benefits. (Sec. 621-622).

• Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).

• Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).

• Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).

• Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).

• Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]).

Full Bill Text

Vetoed by President George Bush

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Highlights:

• Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for CHIP (Sec. 101).

• Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections (Sec. 104).

• Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 (Sec. 112).

• Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements (Sec. 111).

• Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign (Sec. 201).

• Permits states to verify citizenship or nationality as a requirement for inclusion in Medicaid and CHIP programs, and requires that no funds in this act may go towards payments for individuals who are not legal residents. (Sec. 211).

• Requires employers to allow 26 work weeks of leave for certain family members responsible for the care of a recovering member of the armed services, and forbids employers from denying the family member employment, promotion or benefits. (Sec. 621-622).

• Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).

• Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).

• Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).

• Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).

• Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Highlights:

• Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for CHIP (Sec. 101).

• Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections (Sec. 104).

• Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 (Sec. 112).

• Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks (Sec. 112).

• Allows states to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements (Sec. 111).

• Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign (Sec. 201).

• Permits states to verify citizenship or nationality as a requirement for inclusion in Medicaid and CHIP programs, and requires that no funds in this act may go towards payments for individuals who are not legal residents. (Sec. 211).

• Requires employers to allow 26 work weeks of leave for certain family members responsible for the care of a recovering member of the armed services, and forbids employers from denying the family member employment, promotion or benefits. (Sec. 621-622).

• Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 52.988 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar (Sec. 701 [a]).

• Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $105.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand (Sec. 701 [b]).

• Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.0122 to $0.0313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.0244 to $0.0626 per fifty tubes (Sec. 701 [c-d]).

• Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound (Sec. 701 [e]).

• Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound (Sec. 701 [f-g]).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $9.13 billion for fiscal year 2008, $10.68 billion for fiscal year 2009, $11.85 billion for fiscal year 2010, and $13.75 billion for fiscal year 2011 for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) [Title I (Sec. 101)].

• Creates an incentive pool for states whose CHIP enrollment numbers exceed baseline projections [Title I (Sec. 105)].

• Prohibits the issuance of CHIP waivers to non-pregnant childless adults after passage, and terminates existing waivers on September 30, 2008 [Title I (Sec. 106)].

• Allows a state to apply for Medicaid waivers to continue coverage for non-pregnant childless adults whose waivers have been terminated [Title I (Sec. 106)].

• Allows states to continue providing child health assistance to parents of eligible children under an existing waiver through 2012 and provides additional funding for states meeting certain outreach and coverage benchmarks [Title I (Sec. 106)].

• Allows states to change their child health plans to provide pregnancy-related assistance to targeted low-income pregnant women if they have a Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women that is at least 185 percent above the poverty level, among other requirements [Title I (Sec. 107)].

• Establishes a CHIP Contingency Fund to eliminate the Federal share of shortfalls in state CHIP allotments [Title I (Sec. 108)].

• Appropriates $100 million for grants to eligible private or public entities to conduct outreach efforts designed to increase CHIP enrollment among eligible children and sets aside 10 percent of the allocated money for the administration of a national CHIP enrollment campaign [Title II (Sec. 201)].

• Allows states to offer subsidies for qualified employer-sponsored group health coverage to all targeted low-income children who are eligible, if such coverage is more cost-effective than enrollment in the State child health plan [Title IV (Sec. 401)].

• Requires the publication of a recommended core set of child health quality measures, including full insurance coverage and the availability of a full range of services and treatment, for use by state CHIP programs by January 1, 2009 [Title V (Sec. 501)].

• Increases the tax on cigars from $1.828 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigars weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from 20.719 percent of the retail price to 53.13 percent of the retail price for cigars weighing more than three pounds per thousand, with a cap of $3.00 per cigar [Title VII (Sec. 701 [a])].

• Increases the tax from $19.50 per thousand to $50.00 per thousand for cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds per thousand, and increases the tax from $40.95 per thousand to $104.9999 per thousand for cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand [Title VII (Sec. 701 [b])].

• Increases the taxes on cigarette paper from $0.122 to $0.313 per fifty papers and on cigarette tubes from $0.244 to $0.626 per fifty tubes [Title VII (Sec. 701 [c-d])].

• Increases the taxes on snuff from $0.585 to $1.50 per pound and on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.50 per pound [Title VII (Sec. 701 [e])].

• Increases the taxes on pipe tobacco from $1.0969 to $2.8126 per pound and on roll-your-own-tobacco from $1.0969 to $8.8889 per pound [Title VII (Sec. 701 [f-g])].

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text