"As I think everybody here will agree, this is only the first step," Obama said of the bill that reauthorizes the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

"Because the way I see it, providing coverage to 11 million children through CHIP is a down payment on my commitment to cover every single American," he said.

Obama held the ebullient East Room signing ceremony a day after admitting that he "screwed up" in naming former Sen. Tom Daschle to spearhead his health-care overhaul.

The president wrapped the signing event in another pitch for his separate $819 billion economic plan that now is under consideration in the Senate and faces Republican opposition.

The children's health-insurance bill was passed by the House earlier yesterday, 290-135.

All 10 House Democrats from Ohio voted in favor of the measure, as did half of the eight Republicans. The only Ohio lawmakers to vote no were GOP Reps. John Boehner of West Chester, the minority leader, Jim Jordan of Urbana, Bob Latta of Bowling Green and Jean Schmidt of Loveland.

Among the lawmakers on hand to witness Obama sign the legislation into law was Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus, a freshman happy that her first visit to the White House as a member of Congress came for the signing of legislation she had singled out as a priority during her campaign.

"The economic crisis has hit all Ohioans hard, but children are especially vulnerable in this challenging environment," Kilroy said. "I am proud to fulfill a campaign promise that keeps kids healthy, because a healthy child is better prepared for learning and success."

The new law allows Ohio to move forward with its plan to expand the state's version of the program. The state last year received approval from federal regulators to expand coverage to children in households earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level: $63,600 a year for a family of four.

The move would make insurance available to an additional 31,000 uninsured Ohio children. Strickland's proposed two-year state budget unveiled Monday would pay for the state share of the expansion.

Now capped at 200 percent of the poverty level, the program currently covers about 150,000 Ohio children.

The federal children's health bill calls for spending an additional $32.8 billion on SCHIP, which now enrolls an estimated 7 million children.

To cover the increase in spending, the bill would boost the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by 62 cents, to $1.01 a pack.

Dispatch Washington Bureau Chief Jonathan Riskind contributed to this story.