U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today praised House passage of a bipartisan compromise bill to extend health care coverage to millions of low- and middle income children.

Holiday Harvest Festival-Two contestants in the Halloween costume contest at last year’s Holiday Harvest Festival at the Bisbee Farmers Market, a princess (Nora Froming of Bisbee) and a bumble bee (Christopher Smith of Double Adobe) added to the magical atmosphere. The farmers market will close its 2007 season with its annual Holiday Harvest Festival this Saturday in Vista Park from 8 a.m. to noon. Over fifty vendors will bring a wide selection of handmade arts and crafts, produce, plants, baked goods, pumpkins and chile ristras for holiday baking and decorating and unique gifts.

“President Bush clearly is unwilling to do the right thing for 10 million children across our country that need health insurance,” said Giffords. “With this afternoon’s vote, the House of Representatives again took a firm stand: no child in America should be forced to live without health care.”

The bill, which invests $35 billion over five years in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, passed with strong bipartisan support in a 265 to 142 vote. Through Arizona’s KidsCare, the program currently helps 65,000 of the state’s poorest children acquire health insurance coverage. An additional 81,000 Arizona children would be covered as a result of the bill passed today.

An earlier version of the S-CHIP bill passed the House 265 to 159 and the Senate 67-29. Despite polls that show the children’s health program is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans, that bill was vetoed by the president on Oct. 3.

“By vetoing children’s health care legislation and then asking Congress for an additional $46 billion to continue his failed strategy in Iraq, the president again showed us that he is not fiscally responsible,” said Giffords. “Investing in preventative health care for our children has consistently proven to reduce the overall cost in our nation’s health care system. Yet, after spending $800 billion on the war in Iraq, there is no end in sight.”

The bill passed today tightens eligibility requirements by barring federal money from covering illegal immigrants, childless adults and children of families with incomes exceeding three times the poverty level. The Senate must now take up the measure.

“One out of every five Arizona children does not have health insurance,” said Giffords. “That is unconscionable. The fiscally responsible legislation passed by the House today will begin to address that problem, and help make Arizona a better place to raise a family.”