Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) on Wednesday promoted legislation (S 901, HR 1343) that would increase federal funding for the 1,200 community health centers nationwide, the Wilmington News Journal reports.

Carper, together with Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), was one of 74 co-sponsors in the Senate of the Health Care Safety Net Act of 2008, which was approved in July and would authorize through 2012 about $10.3 billion in funds for community health centers. In the House, Castle was one of 249 co-sponsors of the Health Centers Renewal Act of 2008, a companion bill that would authorize $11.4 billion in funds over five years, the News Journal reports. A conference committee is scheduled to discuss the two bills before sending President Bush the legislation for final approval.

Castle said, "I'm a total believer, and it may be because here in Delaware these health centers work extremely well" (Haber, Wilmington News Journal, 8/14).