Press Releases

Washington , D.C. - The Children's Defense Fund Action Council today released its annual nonpartisan rankings of Representatives and Senators based on their votes in Congress in 2004 on legislation affecting the lives of children. Individual members and state delegations in Congress were evaluated. The Action Council ranked Hawaii 's congressional delegation No. 1, with a 94 percent rating, while Wyoming was worst with a score of 5 percent.

		"This is a dangerous time for children in America and we need to know which of our leaders are voting to protect children and which are voting to leave children behind," said CDF Action Council President Marian Wright Edelman. "We should not be persuaded merely by compassionate words-we need to look at actions and votes, far too many of which are profoundly unjust to children, who are the poorest age group of Americans."  In the United States , 13 million children live in poverty, and nine million children lack health insurance. More than six million children are left home alone after school each day.  Almost 900,000 children each year are victims of abuse or neglect.  Nearly one American child or teen is killed by gunfire every three hours. Sixteen Senators rarely , if ever, voted in the best interests of children, scoring only 8 percent: Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), George Allen (R-Va.), Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Ensign (R-Nev.), Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Zell Miller (D-Ga.), Don Nickles (R-Okla.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John Sununu (R-N.H.), and Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.).
Congressional Scorecard 2004 (Adobe PDF : 56 pages : 375 KB) VERY LARGE FILE!

In the House of Representatives, 43 members had 100 percent ratings but 113 scored less than 10 percent (see list below). The ratings were based on how members voted on 12 key measures and whether they co-sponsored the Act to Leave No Child Behind, the comprehensive bipartisan legislation reflecting CDF Action Council's mission and incorporating policies to truly honor those words.

"At a time when the gap between rich and poor is at its highest point in recorded history, when child poverty rates have increased for three consecutive years, when the infant mortality rate has risen for the first time in 44 years, when the number of uninsured Americans is increasing and the federal deficit is soaring, members of Congress need to make more just and sensible choices that protect, not hurt, children," Edelman said. "Congress has the power and duty to ensure every child in America a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start and a Safe Start in life right now." 

The state congressional delegations with the best 2004 voting records for children were: 1. Hawaii (94 percent)  2. Massachusetts and Rhode Island (tied at 88 percent)  4. Vermont (87 percent)  5. North Dakota (79 percent)  6. Maryland (74 percent)  7. Maine (73 percent)  8. Delaware (72 percent)  9. New York (70 percent)  10. Oregon (69 percent).

The state delegations with the worst voting records for children were: 50. Wyoming (5 percent)  49. Idaho (10 percent)  48. Oklahoma (13 percent)  47. Utah (17 percent)  46. New Hampshire (19 percent)  45. Colorado (21 percent)  44. Alaska (23 percent)  43. Kansas (24 percent)  42. Georgia (27 percent)  41. Alabama (28 percent).

 "We thank those members of Congress whose rankings were high, and we urge those who let children down to do better," Edelman said. "Every Senator and every Representative needs to cast votes in 2005 that will help improve the lives of children, and every voter needs to hold them accountable for doing so.

"This year, the crucial framework of laws that protects millions of our most vulnerable children is being undermined by proposed massive tax cuts for the rich and budget cuts and caps for the poor," Edelman said. "Health coverage under Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Head Start, and child welfare protections are all at risk, and our children are depending on members of Congress to be their champions. It is morally indefensible to impose more unjust budget sacrifices on poor children to give tax cuts to millionaires while increasing the federal deficit.  Every Senator and Representative should vote against extending, making permanent, or giving new irresponsible tax cuts to the wealthy."

The complete CDF Action Council Congressional Scorecard provides charts showing the best and worst members of Congress on legislation affecting the lives of children, the best and worst state delegations for children, and the scores of each individual member by state . The report is available on -line at http://www.cdfactioncouncil.org/scorecard2004.pdf. The Action Council, a 501(c)(4) organization established in 1969, is affiliated with the Children's Defense Fund and engages in lobbying activities and grassroots mobilization in support of federal and state legislation to meet the needs of children. 

State Delegation Rankings

The Best Representatives for Children

The Worst Representatives for Children

# # #

The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick, into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown. CDF began in 1973 and is a private, nonprofit organization supported by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. We have never taken government funds.