Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its version of the FY2001 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill (S. 2553). At press time last week, details of the bill were not available. The following are bill highlights for programs important to women and families:
Department of Labor (DoL): While the Senate bill does not provide funding for the Fathers Work/Families Win initiative, committee report language encourages the use of existing funding to implement the program. The House bill (as-yet-unnumbered) also does not include funding for the program. The administration requested $255 million for the program, which would provide grants to help noncustodial parents, particularly fathers, to obtain employment and gain new skills to aid in job promotion.
Under the Senate bill, dislocated worker assistance would receive $1.6 billion, the same amount as FY2000. The House measure would provide $1.38 billion. DoL would receive $20 million to participate in the Safe Schools/Healthy Students program. The House bill did not provide funding for the program. First established in FY1999, the program attempts to promote healthy childhood development while preventing school violence and reducing drug and alcohol addiction among children and teens. The program is a cooperative effort between the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice. The Senate bill would expand the program to DoL.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration would receive $425.98 million in FY2001, the same amount the President requested. The committee report makes no reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding the promulgation of ergonomics standards (see The Source, 8/6/99, p. 3). The House bill would provide $381.62 million in FY2001.
S. 2553 would provide a $377,000 increase to $9.2 million for the DoL’s Women’s Bureau. The House bill would level-fund the Women’s Bureau at $8.82 million. Additionally, DoL would receive $10 million for a Global HIV/AIDS Workplace Initiative. The funding was included in the Department of Health and Human Service’s Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), but would be transferred to DoL. The House bill would provide $61 million for global HIV/AIDS under the PHSSEF.
The Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations Act did not receive funding under the Senate bill. The program received $1 million in FY2000, but the administration did not request funding for the program in FY2001. The House bill would fund the program at $1 million in FY2001.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Community health centers, including migrant health centers, health care for the homeless, and public housing health service grants, would receive a $100 million increase to $1.1 billion in FY2001, the same amount as the House bill. These centers provide health care services to low-income, underserved individuals in rural and urban areas.
The Maternal and Child Health Block Grant (MCHBG) would receive $704.13 million, a slight decrease from last year. Healthy Start, would be level-funded at $90 million in FY2001. The House bill would level-fund both the MCHBG at $709.13 million, and Healthy Start at $90 million.
The Ryan White CARE Act would receive a $55.45 million increase to $1.65 billion. Of that amount, $556.5 million would be used for emergency assistance under Title I of the program. The committee report urges HHS to give funding priority, under Title I supplemental grants, to programs that would increase services to infected women and children. Additionally, the committee report urges the Health Resources and Services Administration to “expand services for HIV-positive women and men who are the primary caregivers of infected or affected children or youth.” Under the House bill, the Ryan White CARE Act would receive $1.73 billion.
Title X, the nation’s family planning program, would receive $253.93 million, a $15 million increase over FY2000. The House measure would provide $238.93 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would receive $149.9 million for sexually transmitted disease prevention and control, an increase of $14.2 million above last year. Under the House bill, this program would receive $150.67 million. HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities at CDC would receive $762.04 million, an increase of $67.3 million. The House bill would provide $734.40 million. Additionally, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, administered through CDC, would receive $177.5 million, an increase of $11 million. The House bill would fund NBCCEDP at $171.42 million. Under the Senate bill, CDC also would receive $28 million for services, research, and public education regarding the reduction of violence against women, and an additional $50.23 million for violence against women programs authorized under the 1994 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA programs administered through HHS would receive $134.07 million, the same amount as last year. Of that amount, $15 million would be used for runaway youth, $2.16 million would be used for the national domestic violence hotline, and $116.92 million would be used for battered women’s shelters. The House bill would provide $15 million for runaway youth, $1.96 million for the national domestic violence hotline, and $101.1 million for battered women’s shelters.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would receive a $2.7 billion increase to $20.5 billion in FY2001, the same amount as the House bill. Committee report language strongly urges the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to expand breast cancer research and “to devote the highest possible funding level to finding the causes and cures for this disease.”
Additionally, report language states that adequate funds were appropriated to NCI for the implementation of a national education program for consumers and health professionals on the impact of diethylstilbesterol (DES). The drug, thought to prevent miscarriage, was taken by thousands of pregnant women. However, the drug causes a rare form of vaginal cancer and has compromised the reproductive health of the offspring of women who took the drug. The campaign would be implemented in conjunction with CDC.
Senate committee report language also encourages NCI to fully fund four ovarian cancer Specialized Programs of Research Excellence and continue research on screening methods.
With respect to microbicide research, the committee report encourages NIH to develop a five-year implementation plan for microbicide research, and requires that a report be submitted to the committee by April 1, 2001.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would receive $2.73 billion, an increase of $78.89 million over last year. The mental health block grant would receive $366 million, an increase of $10 million, and the substance abuse block grant would receive $1.63 billion, an increase of $31 million over last year. Under the House bill, SAMHSA would receive the same amount as provided by the Senate. The House bill would provide $416 million for the mental health block grant and $1.63 billion for the substance abuse block grant.
The Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) would receive $269.94 million, an increase over the $198.8 million appropriated in FY2000.
Committee report language commends AHRQ for its work on women’s health, specifically on gynecological health. The House bill would provide $223.65 million in FY2001.
Under the Senate bill, the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) would receive an increase of $817.33 million to $2 billion, the same amount as provided in the House bill. Of that amount, $19.12 million in the Senate bill would be used for resource and referral programs, and before- and after-school activities, and $60 million would be used for an infant care quality initiative.
Head Start would receive $6.27 billion, an increase of $1 billion. The House bill would provide $5.67 billion for Head Start. The Adolescent Family Life Act (AFLA) would receive $19.33 million, the same amount as last year. AFLA administers abstinence-based education programs. The House bill would provide $24.33 million in FY2001.
The Public Health Service’s Office on Women’s Health would receive a $1.4 million increase to $16.9 million in FY2001. The House bill would provide $16.4 million. Senate committee report language urges continued support for the National Bone Health Campaign, and encourages the office, in conjunction with the National Osteoporosis Foundation, to develop information and outreach activities with respect to the impact of eating disorders and autoimmune diseases on bone health.
Department of Education (DoE): Goals 2000 would receive $40 million in FY2001 for activities “designed to improve parenting skills and strengthen the partnership between parents and professionals in meeting the education needs of their children.” Goals 2000 was appropriated $491 million last year, but the program was repealed under last year’s omnibus appropriations bill (P.L. 106-113), effective September 30 of this year. Under the House bill, Goals 2000 did not receive funding. The School-to-Work Opportunities Act also did not receive funding under both the House and Senate bills. The program received $55 million last year. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers would receive $600 million, an increase of $146.62 million, and the same amount provided in the House bill. The centers provide after-school activities to school-age children.
Total funding for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would be $8.96 billion, an increase of $277.81 million over last year. The House bill would provide $8.79 billion for ESEA. With ESEA’s authorization set to expire at the end of FY2000, Congress is currently attempting to complete work on a reauthorization package.
Even Start, a program that provides grants for family literacy programs, would receive $165 million, an increase of $35 million. The House bill would provide $250 million for the program. Impact aid, which provides funding to school districts that do not receive adequate funding from property taxes, would receive $1.03 billion, an increase of $123.55 million above FY2000. The House bill would provide $985 million for impact aid.
The Women’s Educational Equity Act (WEEA) would be level-funded at $3 million, while funding for vocational and adult education would receive an increase from $1.68 billion in FY2000 to $1.73 billion in FY2001. The House bill also level-funded WEEA and vocational and adult education would receive $1.72 billion. Additionally, under the Senate bill the maximum Pell Grant award would be increased by $350 to $3,650 in FY2001.
The House bill would increase the maximum award to $3,500. The Child Care Access Means Parents in School program would receive $10 million, a $5 million increase over last year. The House bill would provide $15 million for the program.
The House Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to mark up its version of the FY2001 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education spending bill on May 24.
