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AAP News Vol. 14 No. 12 December 1998, p. 4 © 1998 American Academy of Pediatrics
How did children's issues fare in the 105th Congress, now adjourned? During the first session in 1997, there was unprecedented bipartisan cooperation in which several important pieces of legislation affecting children and pediatricians were passed, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and pediatric studies of drugs. At the close of the second session this October, however, many issues including managed care, tobacco control, CLIA reform and child care remained unresolved. With much of Washington preoccupied with congressional eletions and recent scandal, children's issues, and many others, lost priority. As the new Congress prepares to convene in January, the Academy will continue working to ensure that any AAP-supported legislation that wasn't passed will be readdressed.
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