The House approved, 308-121, the FY2003 Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government appropriations bill (H.R. 5120) on July 24. The measure would allocate $35 billion, of which $18.5 billion would be discretionary spending.
Under the measure, $1 million in new funding would be provided to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to support the use of forensic technology to reunite families. It also would level-fund the Customs Cyber Smuggling Center at $4.2 million to target international child pornography, trafficking, and preying on children through the Internet.
In addition, H.R. 5120 would maintain current law requiring health plans participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) to cover prescription contraceptives if they cover other prescription drugs. Physicians and others who provide contraceptives are exempted from the requirement if they object based on religious beliefs. Religiously affiliated health plans also are exempt. The measure also prohibits abortion coverage under FEHBP except when the life of the mother is endangered or in the case of rape or incest.
H.R. 5120 also would renew a provision that allows women to breastfeed their children in federal buildings or on federal property and a provision that requires agencies to administer a policy to ensure that all workplaces are free from discrimination and sexual harassment.
