Issue Position: Healthy Children

Issue Position

As a mother of two, Kirsten is passionate about improving the health of all children.

One of her first acts in the Senate was to partner with President Barack Obama to provide health insurance to 11 million uninsured children across the country, but that was just the first step.

Kirsten has unveiled a bold agenda to improve the health and well-being of New York's children.

At the top of the list is child nutrition. While New York City is the single biggest consumer of school lunches in the nation, we have never had a seat at the table when agricultural interests in Washington decide what kind of food we will feed to our children ...until now.

As the first senator from New York to serve on the Agriculture Committee in two generations, Kirsten is working to improve the food that is available to our children by providing more fresh fruits and vegetables, increasing reimbursement rates for local communities, and getting the sugar-loaded snacks and beverages out of our schools.

In just her first few months on the job, Kirsten asserted herself as a champion for the health of our children and families. She authored legislation to regulate the harmful chemicals in baby products and make autism treatment more affordable for families. She has led the charge to get pharmaceuticals out of our drinking water and eliminate the financial penalty for single parents. In addition, she favors aggressive new investments in research into childhood diseases to save lives and create high-paying jobs during difficult economic times.

Another issue close to Kirsten's heart is how environmental injustices affect children with asthma. She understands this problem because her own son has asthma. No family should have to decide between moving out of their neighborhood and subjecting their child to harmful health effects. That is why Kirsten is working to clean up pollution and address environmental injustices that are causing childhood asthma.

Source