Nancy Pelosi: “as I rise here today, something after 6:30 p.m., I was reminded as I listened to the presentations of a poem that most…”

“as I rise here today, something after 6:30 p.m., I was reminded as I listened to the presentations of a poem that most of us memorized when we were young by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Between the dark and the daylight, When the night is beginning to lower, Comes a pause in the day's occupations, That is known as the Children's Hour. That's this time of day. This is the children's hour. Because of the leadership of so many of our colleagues, we are able to meet our moral obligation to our children. It isn't a pause in our occupation. It is our mission, this moral obligation that we have to the future. When I was sworn in as Speaker, I was surrounded by children. It was very exhilarating, and I called the House of Representatives to order on behalf of all of America's children, establishing this Chamber as the champion for our children and for the future. Our legislation is called CHAMP because it does just that. It champions quality health care for America's children and for our seniors, strengthening families. It is just one way in which this new direction Congress is putting health care and particularly the needs of our children at the top of the Nation's agenda. With the passage of this legislation, the new-direction Congress will ensure that 11 million of America's children receive health care coverage, and seniors will receive improved benefits under Medicare.”