Senate Appropriations Committee Passes Labor, HHS Spending Bill

On June 9, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, 29-1, the FY2017 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill (S. 3040). The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved the legislation by voice vote on June 7.

According to the committee report, the bill would provide $161.857 billion in discretionary funding in FY2017, which is $270 million below FY2016.

The committee summary notes that the legislation includes a total of $76.9 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, an increase of $1.4 billion above the FY2016 level. It includes a $35 million increase for Head Start in order to help these programs “keep up with costs, recruit and retain highly qualified staff, maintain enrollment, and provide high-quality early childhood services for children and families.” Additionally, $2.8 billion has been allocated to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), an increase of $25 million above FY2016. This funding is intended to “improve child care health and safety standards, and otherwise improve working families’ access to quality child care.”

The bill also includes $15.931 million for treatment of pregnant and postpartum women through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment’s Programs of Regional National Significance. In addition, the bill would allocate $4.96 million for the Breast Cancer Awareness for Young Women program and $210 million for breast and cervical cancer research, as well as $7.5 million for ovarian cancer research and $46 million for the Safe Motherhood/Infant Health initiative.

The committee report also urges increased research on gestational diabetes at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease.

The Department of Education would be funded at $71.235 billion, $213 million below FY2016 and $1.5 billion below the president’s request.

The Department of Labor would be funded at $13.614 billion, which is $115 million below FY2016 and $761 million below the president’s request.

The following chart details funding for programs important to women and their families.

*The committee accepted the president’s recommendation to eliminate the Women in Apprenticeship program, noting that the recommendation “significantly expands funding for the new wide-scale apprenticeship grant program, which includes an element designed to support apprenticeship opportunities for women, minorities, and other under-represented populations more holistically.”

**The president’s budget proposed consolidating funding for Ryan White Part D into Part C, noting that “The consolidated Part C program will emphasize care across all vulnerable populations, genders, and ages, thus assuring services for women, infants, children, and youth throughout the program.”

The committee did not accept this recommendation, thus keeping Parts C and D as separate programs.