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Bob Casey on Welfare & Poverty

Democratic Sr Senator (PA)


Allow churches to register as childcare providers

Q: What is your position on legislation to create a registration system for religious child care providers that includes health & safety requirements (but not licensure by the Dept. of Public Welfare) and preserves their religious freedom (i.e., in curricula and hiring practices, and discipline)?

A: Support

Q: What is your position on legislation that forces Catholic health care providers to deliver services contrary to their conscience and moral teachings?

A: Oppose

Q: What is your position on reform measures to make assisted living/personal care more affordable and provide more health care options for the elderly so that they may choose the setting best suited to their needs?

A: Support

Q: What is your position on legislation to impose standards to ensure that all scientific research in Pennsylvania adheres to established moral or ethical principles?

A: I would carefully review and consider any legislation that imposes such standards on scientific research.

Source: Archdiocese of Philadelphia survey of Treasurer candidates , Nov 7, 2004

Voted YES on instituting National Service as a new social invention.

Congressional Summary:Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act:
    Adds to National and Community Service Act of 1990 (NCSA) purposes:
  1. providing year-round opportunities in service-learning;
  2. involving program participants in emergency and disaster preparedness, relief, and recovery;
  3. increasing service opportunities for retiring professionals;
  4. encouraging service by individuals age 55 or older and continued service by national service alumni;
  5. focusing national service on the areas of national need.

Proponent's argument to vote Yes:Sen. BARBARA MIKULSKI (D, MD): [In developing national service over many years] we were not in the business of creating another new social program. What we were in the business of was creating a new social invention. What do I mean by that? In our country, we are known for our technological inventions. But also often overlooked, and sometimes undervalued, is our social inventions.

We created national service to let young people find opportunity to be of service and also to make an important contribution. But not all was rosy. In 2003, when I was the ranking member on the appropriations subcommittee funding national service, they created a debacle. One of their most colossal errors was that they enrolled over 20,000 volunteers and could not afford to pay for it. That is how sloppy they were in their accounting. I called them the "Enron of nonprofits."

And they worked on it. But all that is history. We are going to expand AmeriCorps activity into specialized corps. One, an education corps; another, a health futures corps; another, a veterans corps; and another called opportunity corps. These are not outside of AmeriCorps. They will be subsets because we find this is where compelling human need is and at the same time offers great opportunity for volunteers to do it.

Opponent's argument to vote No:No senators spoke against the amendment.

Reference: Serve America Act/GIVE Act; Bill H.R. 1388 ; vote number 2009-S115 on Mar 26, 2009

Support school breakfast for low-income children.

Casey signed bill favoring school breakfast for low-income kids