Continuing the tradition of advocating for federal initiatives important to women and their families during the annual appropriations process, members of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues (CCWI) on April 12 testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Caucus Co-Chairs Sue Kelly (R-NY) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) were joined by Reps. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Lois Capps (D-CA), Darlene Hooley (D-OR), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), Connie Morella (R-MD), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). Reps. Eva Clayton (D-NC), Carrie Meek (D-FL), Patsy Mink (D-HI), and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) submitted their remarks for the record.
Caucus Co-Chairs joined together in recognizing the contributions of Subcommittee Chair John Porter (R-IL). “We appreciate your past efforts to fund programs that help women, children, and families,” stated Rep. Maloney.
Four women serve on the subcommittee—Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Anne Northup (R-KY), and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “This is the best day of the year. The Women’s Caucus testimony is the most organized, comprehensive presentation,” noted Rep. Pelosi. Rep. Lowey agreed, saying, “The Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues has been a champion on these issues.”
Crohn’s Disease Rep. Kelly requested a 15 percent increase for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to research Crohn’s Disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, and ulcerative colitis. She also highlighted the importance of increased research for tuberous sclerosis and juvenile diabetes. “While I realize that it is not the practice of this Committee or Congress to earmark money for specific disease research within NIH, I would like to respectfully request that the continued support of research on Crohn’s Disease, Tuberous Sclerosis, and Juvenile Diabetes be included in report language,” she stated.
Title X Highlighting the importance of funding Title X, the nation’s family planning program, at $274 million in FY2001, Rep. Maloney stated, “For every public dollar spent, more than $3 are saved in publicly-funded medical costs alone.” She also highlighted Title IX, requesting $7.3 million for enforcement of the gender equity statute and $76 million for the Office for Civil Rights within the Department of Education, which investigates discrimination complaints. Rep. Maloney also encouraged the subcommittee to refrain from broadening the ban on human embryo research to include stem cell research, saying that stem cell research is critical in the fight against a number of diseases, including Parkinson’s.
Obesity Testifying with regard to obesity, Del. Norton told the subcommittee that “the percentage of obese women—only those most overweight—has soared from 12.2% to 18.1% from 1991 to 1998,” adding: “Most notably, 50% of women over age 20 are overweight.” Del. Norton requested that the Lifelong Improvements in Food and Exercise (LIFE) Act (H.R. 3177) be considered by the subcommittee. The measure would authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to train health professionals to recognize signs of obesity and recommend prevention activities, educate the public concerning obesity, and develop prevention strategies for community use.
Long-Term Care “By the year 2030, one in four American women will be over the age of 65,” stated Rep. Hooley as she called upon the subcommittee to consider the President’s proposals for long-term care, including $125 million for family caregiver services and a $3,000 tax credit for family caregivers. She also requested a $30 million increase for breast cancer research at NIH. “Despite the increased funding allocated to breast cancer research, it is estimated that we will see 184,200 cases of breast cancer in the year 2000,” she stated.
NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health Rep. Slaughter detailed her concern about funding for the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “Between Fiscal Years 1996 and 2000, the ORWH has received budget increases averaging 4.4 percent per year. For Fiscal Years 1999 and 2000, as the NIH received budget increases of 14.4. percent and 14 percent respectively, the ORWH budget was increased by 7 and 4 percent. In my judgment, these minimal increases reflect a tepid—at best—commitment to women’s health.” She urged the subcommittee to include report language directing NIH to give the ORWH a proportional increase, saying, “We must not let this office die.”
Heart Disease Citing the enactment of the Women’s Health Research Reauthorization Act (P.L. 105-340), which authorized research on cardiovascular diseases in women at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Rep. Waters requested that $200 million be appropriated for such a program. “Despite the seriousness of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women, the symptoms remain largely unrecognized by both women and their doctors,” she stated. Rep. Waters also expressed support for full funding for the WISEWOMAN program conducted by the CDC. The program, which provides screening for heart disease and breast and cervical cancer, is expected to expand from three states to seven states this year.
Children’s Mental Health Children’s mental health was highlighted by Rep. Jackson Lee. She called for an appropriation of $93 million for the Children’s Mental Health Services Program operated by the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). She also requested an appropriation of $78 million for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative through NMHA. “Studies show that there are 13.7 million children or 1 in 5 children with diagnosable mental or emotional disorders….We are all aware of the great devastation that the lack of mental health services has on our young people,” Rep. Jackson Lee told the subcommittee.
Microbicides Highlighting a number of critical programs, Rep. Morella emphasized the importance of research on women and HIV/AIDS. She called for an appropriation of $50 million for the development of a microbicide to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), saying, “It is critical that women have an inexpensive and easy-to-use method of HIV/STD prevention that they can control.” She also called for adequate funding of the Women’s Interagency HIV Study, a continued commitment to breast cancer research, full funding for the Violence Against Women Act, a $1 million appropriation for the Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Employment Act, $45 million for the Campus-Based Child Care Program, and a $1 billion increase for Head Start.
Autism Rep. Biggert told the subcommittee that autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities, saying, “Over one million people in the United States today have autism or some form of pervasive developmental disorder and 1 in 500 children born today will be diagnosed with this disorder.” She requested funding for a program in her district called “Giant Steps.” The program provides educational and therapeutic services to children with autism and related disabilities. “With your help, Giant Steps will, in time, serve as a model for many other such schools throughout the nation,” she said.
Head Start Speaking from experience, Rep. Sanchez—the first Head Start graduate to serve in Congress—noted the need to increase funding for the Head Start program by $1 billion. “Head Start educated and socialized me, but it had a multiplied effect with my six other siblings. This is the true value of a Head Start education,” she said. Rep. Sanchez also requested $1 million for the Parental Information Resource Centers authorized under Goals 2000 and $120 million for the Smaller Learning Communities Program.
Marin County Breast Cancer Study Rep. Woolsey requested $250,000 for the Marin County Breast Cancer Study, saying, “This funding will continue community-based research on the origins and patterns of why Marin County has the highest percentage of breast cancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, if not the entire United States.” She also requested $350,000 for the Center Point Medical Clinic, $2 million for the Northern California Telemedicine Network, $1 million for the Yosemite National Institutes, and full funding for the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
Nursing Education/Domestic Violence Screening Rep. Capps discussed the need for increased funding for both the Nursing Education Program and the National Institute of Nursing Research, noting that “some projects that could be funded include helping families to deal with children who have asthma and teaching people who suffer from diabetes to better adhere to self-management behaviors.” She also called for domestic violence screening as part of routine medical care. “I believe that our health care system can be a life saving resource for abused women, who may never turn to the criminal justice system or a domestic violence shelter for help,” she stated.
HIV/AIDS/Fibroid Tumors Saying that HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in women, Rep. Millender-McDonald called for increased funding for HIV/AIDS. Specifically, she requested a $100 million increase for treatment, prevention, and education in communities of color.
Noting that 20-25 percent of women have uterine fibroids and that African-American women are two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with fibroids than Caucasian women, Rep. Millender-McDonald called for $10 million for a study on fibroids in minority women. She also asked for $50 million for the NIH to study cervical cancer and lung cancer.
Child Care Rep. Schakowsky detailed the need for increased funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). Citing a recent report from the National Council of Jewish Women, she told the subcommittee, “There has been little progress in this area since 1972. Rep. Schakowsky noted that current CCDBG funding serves only one in ten eligible children.
Other Topics Reps. Clayton, Meek, Mink, and Tauscher submitted remarks for the record. Rep. Clayton discussed teen pregnancy. Rep. Meek focused her testimony on long-term care. Rep. Mink talked about ovarian cancer. Rep. Tauscher discussed child care.
Subcommittee Response Subcommittee Chair Porter spoke specifically about three issues in response to the congresswomen’s testimony—Crohn’s Disease, obesity, and the ORWH. He stated that the subcommittee would include report language on Crohn’s Disease and Tuberous Sclerosis. Rep. Porter also expressed his willingness to include H.R. 3177, the LIFE Act, with a $125 million appropriation to begin a public education campaign on obesity. With regard to the ORWH, Rep. Porter reaffirmed his commitment to the office and explained that the office’s funds were used for administrative purposes, not for research; therefore, its increases were proportional to the administrative increases for other NIH offices and institutes.
Rep. Porter stated that the subcommittee was committed to doubling funding for NIH and urged the congresswomen to support the subcommittee’s bill. “The budget resolution will make it difficult to get to that goal. You may not like what we start with, but I hope you will support what we end up with….It will be a very crooked road to get to where we need to go.”
