Utah law enforcement leaders called on members of Congress to authorize $50 billion over the next five years to expand and improve the state's Children's Health Insurance Program.

Supporters urged the infusion of cash during a Monday morning press conference at the Salt Lake police station.

Next week, Congress will consider proposals to expand the program's benefits for children and add additional children to the rolls.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was a leading sponsor of the original CHIP law, and local officials are turning to Hatch again to support an increase in funding to include mental-health coverage, especially for children who are abused and neglected as a result of parents' methamphetamine use.

Utah's meth crisis has created a significant problem of secondary victims.

"While high on drugs, meth-addicted parents often leave their kids unsupervised for days at a time," said Jeff Kirsch, vice president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. "When they come down off the high they are often prone to violence. Kids without insurance can't get the help they need unless they have health insurance. We're interested in getting them improved coverage with the same mental health coverage as physical coverage."

Currently, CHIP covers more than 35,000 children in Utah from low-income working families. Without federal funding for the program, many enrolled children will lose their coverage and other eligible children will remain without insurance due to lack of funding.

The number of Utah children who are confirmed victims of abuse and neglect has risen 67 percent since 1998, Kirsch said. Urging support of CHIP, Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller said, "We need to look at the causes of crime. We need to break the cycle of failure."

Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank believes the money in CHIP would be well spent.

"It is far cheaper for us to pay for mental health care and treatment for our troubled children than to pay for some of the most expensive housing that we have in the nation — our county jails and prisons."

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