WASHINGTON -- March 23 -- 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 9 million children lack health insurance. More than 6 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.

The 2004 Children's Defense Fund Action Council Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard shows that eight Senators received 100 percent ratings: Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Jon Corzine (D- N.J.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.).

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.).

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

1. Hawaii 94 percent 2. Massachusetts 88 percent 2. Rhode Island 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 11. Arkansas 65 percent 11. Connecticut 65 percent 11. New Jersey 65 percent 14. California 63 percent 15. West Virginia 62 percent 16. Washington 59 percent 17. New Mexico 55 percent 17. Wisconsin 55 percent 19. Michigan 52 percent 20. Illinois 50 percent 20. South Dakota 50 percent 22. Minnesota 47 percent 23. Louisiana 42 percent 23. North Carolina 42 percent 23. Pennsylvania 42 percent 26. Texas 39 percent 27. Iowa 38 percent 27. Ohio 38 percent 29. Florida 35 percent 29. Mississippi 35 percent 29. Nevada 35 percent 32. Indiana 34 percent 32. South Carolina 34 percent 32. Tennessee 34 percent 35. Missouri 32 percent 36. Arizona 31 percent 37. Kentucky 30 percent 37. Virginia 30 percent 39. Montana 29 percent 39. Nebraska 29 percent 41. Alabama 28 percent 42. Georgia 27 percent 43. Kansas 24 percent 44. Alaska 23 percent 45. Colorado 21 percent 46. New Hampshire 19 percent 47. Utah 17 percent 48. Oklahoma 13 percent 49. Idaho 49 percent 50. Wyoming 5 percent

The Best Representatives for Children:

Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) 100 percent

Thomas H. Allen (D-Maine) 100 percent

Robert E. Andrews (D-N.J.) 100 percent

Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) 100 percent

Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Lois Capps (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) 100 percent

Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) 100 percent

Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.) 100 percent

Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Sam Farr (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) 100 percent

Ral M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) 100 percent

Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.) 100 percent

Rush D. Holt (D-N.J.) 100 percent

Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) 100 percent

Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) 100 percent

Dale E. Kildee (D-Mich.) 100 percent

Carolyn C. Kilpatrick (D-Mich.) 100 percent

Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) 100 percent

John Lewis (D-Ga.) 100 percent

James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) 100 percent

George Miller (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) 100 percent

John W. Olver (D-Mass.) 100 percent

Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) 100 percent

Ed Pastor (D-Ariz.) 100 percent

Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.) 100 percent

Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) 100 percent

Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Janice D. Schakowsky (D-Ill.) 100 percent

Jose E. Serrano (D-N.Y.) 100 percent

Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-Calif.) 100 percent

John F. Tierney (D-Mass.) 100 percent

Tom Udall (D-N.M.) 100 percent

Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) 100 percent

Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) 100 percent

Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) 100 percent

Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Calif.) 100 percent

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The Worst Representatives for Children:

Doug Bereuter (R-Neb.) 9 percent

Steve Pearce (R-N.M.) 8 percent

Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) 8 percent

John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) 8 percent

Henry E. Brown Jr. (R-S.C.) 8 percent

Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) 8 percent

Dan Burton (R-Ind.) 8 percent

Howard Coble (R-N.C.) 8 percent

Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) 8 percent

Vernon J. Ehlers (R-Mich.) 8 percent

Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) 8 percent

Paul E. Gillmor (R-Ohio) 8 percent

Mark Green (R-Wis.) 8 percent

Joel Hefley (R-Colo.) 8 percent

John N. Hostettler (R-Ind.) 8 percent

Kenny C. Hulshof (R-Mo.) 8 percent

William L. Jenkins (R-Tenn.) 8 percent

Ric Keller (R-Fla.) 8 percent

John Linder (R-Ga.) 8 percent

Jim McCrery (R-La.) 8 percent

Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) 8 percent

Howard P. "Buck" McKeon (R-Calif.) 8 percent

Gary G. Miller (R-Calif.) 8 percent

Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) 8 percent

Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) 8 percent

Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) 8 percent

Ron Paul (R-Tex.) 8 percent

Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.) 8 percent

Rob Portman (R-Ohio) 8 percent

Deborah Pryce (R-Ohio) 8 percent

George Radanovich (R-Calif.) 8 percent

Dennis R. Rehberg (R-Mont.) 8 percent

Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.) 8 percent

Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) 8 percent

F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.) 8 percent

John Shimkus (R-Ill.) 8 percent

Lee Terry (R-Neb.) 8 percent

Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) 8 percent

Patrick J. Tiberi (R-Ohio) 8 percent

W. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) 0 percent

Cass Ballenger (R-N.C.) 0 percent

J. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.) 0 percent

Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Md.) 0 percent

Joe Barton (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Bob Beauprez (R-Colo.) 0 percent

Rob Bishop (R-Utah) 0 percent

Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) 0 percent

Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) 0 percent

Kevin Brady (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Michael C. Burgess (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Chris Cannon (R-Utah) 0 percent

Eric Cantor (R-Va.) 0 percent

John R. Carter (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) 0 percent

Chris Chocola (R-Ind.) 0 percent

Tom Cole (R-Okla.) 0 percent

Mac Collins (R-Ga.) 0 percent

Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) 0 percent

Philip M. Crane (R-Ill.) 0 percent

Barbara Cubin (R-Wyo.) 0 percent

Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) 0 percent

Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) 0 percent

John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.) 0 percent

Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.) 0 percent

Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) 0 percent

Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) 0 percent

J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) 0 percent

Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) 0 percent

Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.) 0 percent

Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) 0 percent

Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) 0 percent

Kay Granger (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Gil Gutknecht (R-Minn.) 0 percent

Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) 0 percent

Melissa A. Hart (R-Pa.) 0 percent

J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) 0 percent

Doc Hastings (R-WA) 0 percent

J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) 0 percent

Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Wally Herger (R-Calif.) 0 percent

Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) 0 percent

Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) 0 percent

Darrell E. Issa (R-Calif.) 0 percent

Sam Johnson (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Mark R. Kennedy (R-Minn.) 0 percent

Steve King (R-Iowa) 0 percent

John Kline (R-Minn.) 0 percent

Donald A. Manzullo (R-Ill.) 0 percent

Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) 0 percent

Marilyn N. Musgrave (R-Colo.) 0 percent

Sue Wilkins Myrick (R-N.C.) 0 percent

Randy Neugebauer (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) 0 percent

C.L. "Butch" Otter (R-Idaho) 0 percent

Mike Pence (R-Ind.) 0 percent

Joseph R. Pitts (R-Pa.) 0 percent

Adam H. Putnam (R-Fla.) 0 percent

Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) 0 percent

Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) 0 percent

Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) 0 percent

Edward L. Schrock (R-Va.) 0 percent

Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) 0 percent

John B. Shadegg (R-Ariz.) 0 percent

Nick Smith (R-Mich.) 0 percent

Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) 0 percent

John Sullivan (R-Okla.) 0 percent

Thomas G. Tancredo (R-Colo.) 0 percent

W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-La.) 0 percent

Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.) 0 percent

Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) 0 percent

David Vitter (R-La.) 0 percent

Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) 0 percent

The mission of the Children's Defense Fund Action Council 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.

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