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The Status of Women:
WINS DURING THE 106th CONGRESS
A Progress Report
from the Office of Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney
on actions taken during the 106th Congress to benefit women
[updated as of October 17, 2000]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- BILLS ENACTED
II. APPROPRIATIONS
III. PASSED HOUSE AND/OR SENATE
IV. MAJOR ACTIONS TAKEN
V. HEARINGS HELD
VI. WOMEN IN THE HOUSE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
I. BILLS ENACTED
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (S. 580) -- A bill to reauthorize and revamp the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. Two important amendments impact women. The first would require the director to include among evidence-based clinical practices promoted by the agency the examination of sexual assault victims and the training of health professionals inn performing medical evidentiary examinations of sexual assault victims. The second would direct the agency to build public-private partnerships and to enhance the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of, and access to, health services for cancer and cardiovascular diseases in women. [STATUS: Enacted December 6, 1999; P.L 106-129]
Aimee's Law (H.R. 894) -- A bill to deter states from granting early release to convicted murderers, rapists and child molesters by requiring those states who grant early release to pay for the costs of prosecution and incarceration if that individual were later convicted of one of the three listed crimes. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the Violence Against Women Act, which has been cleared for President Clinton's signature]
Battered Immigrant Women Protection Act of 1999 (H.R. 3083) -- A bill to provide protection for battered immigrant women. [STATUS: A version passed as part of the Violence Against Women Act, which has been cleared for President Clinton's signature]
Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act (H.R. 1070/H.R. 4386) -- A bill to provide medical assistance for underinsured and uninsured women screened and found to have breast or cervical cancer under a federally funded screening program. [STATUS: Cleared for President Clinton's signature]
Breast Cancer Stamp Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4796/ S. 2386) -- A bill to reauthorize the sale of special "semipostal" U.S. postage stamps to raise money for breast cancer research. This program was created in 1997 under the Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act (P.L. 105-41) and will be extended through 2001. [STATUS: Enacted July 28, 2000; P.L. 106-253]
Central DOD Database on Domestic Violence Incidents -- This database will be updated annually, including data on disciplinary outcomes. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY 2000 Defense Authorizations bill]
Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act (H.R. 3458) -- A bill to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Enacted March 10, 2000; P.L. 106-177]
Child Care for Federal Employees (H.R. 206) -- A bill to provide for greater access to child care services for Federal employees. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY2000 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill]
Children's Health Act (H.R. 4365) --A bill to reauthorize and extend children's health research programs, to establish a pediatric research initiative at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and conduct research on birth defects, folic acid promotion, safe motherhood, and prenatal care, among other issues. [STATUS: Enacted October 17, 2000]
Contraceptives for Federal Employees (H.R. 2490) -- A provision requiring federal employees health insurance plans which cover prescription drugs and devices to also cover prescription contraceptive drugs and devices. [STATUS: Extended as part of enacted FY00 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill]
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victims' Housing Act (H.R. 1352) -- A bill to provide housing assistance to domestic violence victims. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the Violence Against Women Act, which has been cleared for President Clinton's signature]
Domestic Violence Initiative -- This establishes a three-year, 24 person, Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence (with first annual report due 12 months after last task force member is appointed) that is charged with providing:
*A strategic plan to improve the way in which DOD deals with domestic violence.
*A review of the Secretary's efforts to improve victims safety, to include identification of the best practices being employed at military installations.
*Standard guidelines to be used in negotiating agreements with civilian law enforcement authorities related to domestic violence involving members of the armed services.
*Recommendations on how to implement, record and track commanders' no-contact orders.
*Standard guidelines for commanders when seeking to substantiate allegations of domestic violence for purpose of taking legal or other action against a military person.
*Standard training program and curriculum for military commanders to improve handling of domestic violence cases.
*Monetary and other incentives for installation commanders to develop collaborative military-civilian community efforts that will improve, strengthen and coordinate preventive and response efforts to domestic violence. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY 2000 Defense Authorizations bill]
Education Flexibility and Partnership Act (H.R. 800) -- A bill known as "Ed-Flex" designed to give states new flexibility with education programs. The new law expands a pilot program under which 12 states had already been allowed to waive some federal regulations after showing that they impede local efforts to improve education. [STATUS: Enacted April 29, 1999; P.L. 106-25]
Financial Assistance for Child Care and Youth Services Providers -- A bill to provide subsidy to eligible civilian providers (family home day care providers, private not-for-profit child care providers, before- and after-school child care in public schools, etc.). The bill also opens participation in DOD child care and youth services programs to non-DOD dependents (to promote military-civilian integration, to establish beneficial child care and youth services partnerships and consortia). [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY 2000 Defense Authorizations bill]
Financial Services Act (H.R. 10/S. 900) -- This bill includes two provisions of particular importance to women: 1) forbids insurance companies from discriminating against victims of domestic violence when making underwriting decisions for life or health insurance policies and 2) ensures that financial advice and products will be offered in a nondiscriminatory, nongender-specific manner. [STATUS: Enacted November 12, 1999; P.L. 106-102]
Folic Acid Promotion and Birth Defects Prevention Act (H.R. 2538) -- A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a national folic acid education program to prevent birth defects, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the Children's Health Act, October 17, 2000]
Foster Care Independence Act (H.R. 3443) -- A bill designed to assist young adults who have "aged out" of the foster care system. The bill would double funding-from $70 million to $140 million-for the Independent Living Program, which was created to help foster children with the challenges of young adulthood. It would also allow the Work Opportunity Tax Credit for employers who hire former foster children between the ages of 18 and 21. [STATUS: Enacted December 14, 1999; P.L. 106-169]
Hillory J. Farias and Samantha Reid Date-Rape Drug Prevention(H.R. 2130) -- A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to add gamma hydroxybutyric acid and ketamine to the schedules of controlled substances, to provide for a national awareness campaign, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Enacted February 18, 2000; P.L. 106-172]
Improving Access to Women's Health Care -- A bill to reduce requirements for pre- authorization for preventive services such as obstetric and gynecologic exams, and mammograms, and to require an early determination be made as to where a woman, not enrolled in a DOD managed care plan, will receive outpatient and in-patient pre-natal, delivery and post-partum care. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY 2000 Defense Authorizations bill]
Intercountry Adoption Act (H.R. 2909) -- A bill to implement a treaty on international adoption. [STATUS: Enacted October 6, 2000; P.L. 106-279]
Military Dependents Communications Confidentiality Act (H.R. 1847)-- A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to protect the confidentiality of communications between dependents of members of the Armed Forces and professionals providing therapeutic or related services regarding sexual or domestic abuse. The GAO will study and report on DOD policies, procedures and practices for protecting the confidentiality of communications between military dependents (who are either the victims or perpetrators of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or intrafamily abuse) and therapists, counselors, advocates or other professionals providing professional services in connection with the above misconduct. A report will be issued 6 months after enactment. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY2000 Defense Authorization bill]
Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Child Protection Act (H.R. 905/S. 249) -- A bill to amend the Missing Children's Assistance Act to direct the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to annually make a grant to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. [STATUS: Enacted October 12, 1999; P.L. 106-71]
Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs (PRIME) Act (H.R. 413) -- A bill to authorize qualified organizations to provide technical assistance and capacity building services to microenterprise development organizations and programs and to disadvantaged entrepreneurs using funds from the Community Development Financial Institutions fund, and for other purposes. This bill expands access-to-credit opportunities for traditionally underserved populations such as women. [STATUS: Enacted as part of S. 900/H.R. 10, the Financial Modernization Act]
Right to Breastfeed Act (H.R. 1848) -- A bill to ensure a woman's right to breastfeed her child on any part of federal property (federal parks, federal buildings, and national museums) where she and her child have a right to be. [STATUS: Enacted as part of the FY2000 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill]
Rosa Parks Congressional Gold Medal (H.R. 573/ S. 531) -- A bill to award Rosa Parks for her contribution to the civil rights movement. On December 5, 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. [STATUS: Enacted May 4, 1999; P.L. 106-26]
Safe Motherhood Monitoring and Prevention Research Act (H.R. 2316) -- A bill to establish a national surveillance and monitoring program of safe motherhood programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [STATUS: Enacted as part of the Children's Health Act, October 17, 2000]
Sexual Harassment -- A bill to re-authorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) included a one-time appropriation to address nearly 10,000 backlogged sexual harassment cases at the FAA. [STATUS: Enacted April 5, 2000; P.L. 106-181]
Trafficking Victims Protection Act (H.R. 3244) -- A bill to combat trafficking of persons, especially into the sex-trade, slavery, and slavery-like conditions in the United
States and countries around the world through prevention, through prosecution and enforcement against traffickers, and through protection and assistance to victims of trafficking. [STATUS: Cleared for President Clinton's signature]
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Funding Act of 1999 (H.R. 895) -- A bill to restore a United States voluntary contribution to the United Nations. Cuts and spending restrictions on our international family planning programs in recent years have put a number of U.S.-supported programs in jeopardy; there have also been a number of reports indicating that the resulting denial of family planning services has led to an increase in the number of abortions. [STATUS: Enacted as part of FY2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill]
Veterans Millennium Health Care Act (H.R. 2116) -- A bill to establish a program of extended care services for veterans and to make other improvements in health care programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, including payment of veterans' benefits to spouses of deceased prisoners of war, even in the case of remarriage. [STATUS: Enacted November 30, 1999; P.L. 106-117]
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization (H.R. 1248/ S. 2787) -- A bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, which provides support hotlines, increases penalties for domestic violence, and provides shelters and counseling for victims of domestic violence. [STATUS: Cleared for President Clinton's signature]
Women's Business Centers Sustainability Act of 1999 (S. 791/H.R. 1497) -- A bill to amend the Small Business Act with respect to the women's business center program. [STATUS: Enacted December 9, 1999; P.L. 106-165]
Women's Business Center Amendments Act (H.R. 774) -- A bill to increase funding for Women's Business Centers run by the Small Business Administration (SBA) from $8 million to $11 million for FY2000 and from $8 million to $10 million for FY1999. [STATUS: Enacted April 6, 1999; P.L. 106-17]
Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (H.R. 1180) -- A bill to ensure continued federal health benefits for disabled individuals who return to work. The bill also included extenders on the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Tax Credit. [STATUS: Enacted December 17, 1999; P.L. 106-170]
II. APPROPRIATIONS
FY2000 VA-HUD Appropriations -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$232 million for Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA)
$1.02 billion for the Stuart McKinney Homeless Assistance program
$434.5 million for the Corporation for National and Community Service, including:
$5 million for P.A.V.E. (Project Anti-Violence Education) Way project, administered through the Girl Scouts of America, Inc.
$10.8 billion for Rent Subsidies For Low-Income Families (renewal of all Section 8 contracts), an increase of $1.2 billion from FY 1999
$911 million for affordable housing for 150,000 elderly and disabled
Also, a Housing Security Plan for older Americans was included that will address the sharp increase in our elderly population and the changing housing needs that accompany this demographic shift.4
FY 2000 Defense Appropriations -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$175 million for the Army's peer reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program
$75 million for the Army's peer reviewed Prostate Cancer Research Program
$25 million for research grants and activities, for projects such as childhood asthma and digital mammography imaging.
$12 million for Ovarian Cancer Research
$4 million for Osteoporosis research
$5 million for work on the Women in Military Service Memorial
FY 2001 Defense Appropriations -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$175 million for peer-reviewed Breast Cancer Research Program
$12 million for Ovarian Cancer Research
$6 million for Osteoporosis research
FY 2001 Military Construction Appropriations -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$3.6 million for family housing
$43 million for child development centers
$35 million for foster care and adoption assistance
FY2000 Commerce, Justice, State, and Related Agencies Appropriations -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$305 million for Legal Services Corporation
$8.9 million for Commission on Civil Rights
$283.75 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), including:
$28 million for civil legal assistance
$5.2 million for research and evaluation of domestic violence programs
$1.196 million for domestic violence prosecution in the District of Columbia
$34 million for grants to encourage arrests
$25 million for rural domestic violence programs
$10 million to combat violence against women on college campuses
$9 million for Women's Business Centers administered by the Small Business Administration
$600,000 for the National Women's Business Council
$790,000 for the Survey of Women-Owned Businesses
$282 million for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
$4.8 billion for the Bureau of the Census
$287.1 million for the juvenile justice programs
$50 million for Boys and Girls Clubs
$19.952 million for the Missing Children Program
FY2000 Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill -- [STATUS: Enacted]
$239 million for Title X, the nation's family planning program
$710 million for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant
$1.6 billion for the Ryan White CARE Act
$1. 024 billion for Community Health Centers
$17.9 billion for National Institutes of Health (NIH)
$105 million for violent crime reduction programs, including:
$84 million for battered women's shelters
$2 million for domestic violence hotline
$15 million for runaway youth prevention
$3 billion for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
$167.3 million for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program to provide breast and cervical cancer screening an services to medically underserved women
$694.75 million for HIV/AIDS prevention
$135.6 million for Programs targeting sexually transmitted diseases
$15.49 million for Public Health Service's Office of Women's Health
$1.18 billion for Child Care Development Block Grant
$8.869 million for the Women's Bureau
$1 million for the Women in Apprenticeship program
$1.6 billion for the Dislocated Worker Assistance Program
$71.2 million for the Office of Civil Rights, which enforces Title IX
$3 million for the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA)
$5 million for Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CAMPUS)
$7.7 billion for Pell Grants, which assist low-income college students
$5.3 billion for Head Start
$606 million for Safe and Drug Free Schools Act
$45 million for rape prevention programs
$6 million for domestic violence community demonstration programs
$15 million for runaway youth prevention
$17.5 million for battered women's shelters through the Administration on Children and Families (ACF)
$2 million for domestic violence hotline
$19.7 million for Adolescent Family Life Act which focuses on abstinence education programs
$1.3 billion for the class-size reduction initiative
$491 million for Goals 2000
$453 million for 21st Century Learning Centers
FY2000 Interior Appropriations -- The measure provides $500,000 for restoration of the Sewall-Belmont House, home of the National Woman's Party. [STATUS: Enacted]
FY2000 Transportation Appropriations -- The bill would require that the Department of Transportation Inspector General report on disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE), which include women-owned businesses, that are no longer eligible under new regulations. [STATUS: Enacted]
FY2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations -- The measure requires "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" to include information on trafficking in persons, specifically women and children. [STATUS: Enacted]
$385 million for international family planning programs
$25 million for United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
$727.5 million for the Child Survival and Disease Program, including:
$190 million for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, including:
$35 million for fight HIV/AIDS in Africa
$10 children affected by the epidemic
$110 million for UNICEF
$98 million for children's basic education
$30 million for displaced children and orphans
$15 million for U.S. Agency for International Development's (AID) Women in Development (WID) Office
FY2000 Agriculture Appropriations -- The final conference report deleted a provision that would have prohibited use of FDA funds to test, develop, or approve drugs that may chemically induce abortion. [STATUS: Enacted]
$3.9 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
$9.6 billion for child nutrition programs
$34 million for a youth tobacco prevention program administered by the FDA
III. PASSED HOUSE AND/OR SENATE
Abandoned Infant Resolution (H.R. 465) -- A resolution urging federal, state and local officials to gather statistics on infants abandoned in public places. [STATUS: Passed House April 11, 2000]
Access to Women's Health Care Act (H.R. 1806) -- A bill to provide women in managed care plans with direct access to ob/gyn services and the option of choosing their ob/gyn provider (including non-physicians specialists) as their primary care provider. [STATUS: Passed House and Senate as part of the Patient's Bill of Rights]
Adopted Orphans Citizenship Act (H.R. 2883) -- A bill that would aid American families adopting foreign-born children by granting citizenship retroactively. [STATUS: Passed Senate October 12, 2000]
Afghanistan Resolution (H. Res. 187/ S. Res. 68) -- A resolution urging the use of "all appropriate means to prevent the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan from obtaining a seat in the United Nations General Assembly" until the human rights violations against women and girls cease. (Maloney) [STATUS: Passed Senate May 5, 1999]
Bankruptcy Reform Act (H.R. 833/S. 625) -- Several aspects of the legislation would affect women and their families. In 1997, more than 1.3 million American families filed for bankruptcy, an estimated 243,000 to 325,000 of which involved child support and alimony. About half of those cases involved women trying to collect from bankrupt ex-husbands, while the other half involved women filing for bankruptcies themselves. [STATUS: Passed House May 5, 1999; Passed Senate November 9, 1999]
Baylee's Law: Federal Protective Service Reform Act (H.R. 4519) -- A bill to amend the Public Buildings Act of 1959 concerning the safety and security of children enrolled in
childcare facilities located in public buildings under the control of the General Services Administration. [STATUS: Passed House September 26, 2000]
Certified Development Company Program Improvement Act of 1999 (H.R. 2614/2615) -- A bill to amend the Small Business Investment Act to make improvements to the certified development company program, and the general business loan program. Included within the program goals is the expansion of women-owned business development. [STATUS: Passed House August 3, 1999]
Cervical Cancer Public Awareness Resolution (H. Con. Res. 64) -- A resolution recognizing the severity of the issue of cervical health, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Passed House October 3, 2000]
Child Sex Crimes Wiretapping Act (H.R. 3484) -- A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide that certain sexual crimes against children are predicate crimes for the interception of communications, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Passed House October 3, 2000]
Child Support Distribution Act (H.R. 4678) -- A bill to improve the child support collection system and to encourage fathers' involvement with their children. [STATUS: Passed House September 7, 2000]
Comprehensive Retirement Security and Pension Reform (H.R. 1102) -- A bill to provide for pension reform. [STATUS: Passed House July 19, 2000; Approved by Senate Finance Committee September 7, 2000]
DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination (H.R. 4640) -- A bill to help eliminate a backlog of DNA samples waiting to be analyzed in criminal cases. [STATUS: Passed House October 2, 2000]
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination in Health Insurance Act of 1999 (H.R. 306) -- A bill to prohibit discrimination against individuals and their family members on the basis of genetic information or a request for genetic services. [STATUS: a version was included in the Senate-passed Patient's Bill of Rights bill]
Health Care Worker Needlestick Prevention Act (H.R. 1899/ H.R. 5178) -- A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations to eliminate or minimize the significant risk of needlestick injury to health care workers. [STATUS: Passed House October 3, 2000]
Historically Women's Public Colleges or Universities Historic Building Restoration and Preservation Act (H.R. 4503) -- A bill to provide for the preservation and restoration of historic buildings at historically women's public colleges or universities. [STATUS: Passed House October 3, 2000]
Honoring American Military Women for Their Service in World War II Resolution (H. Res. 41) -- A bill which recognizes the important contribution made by military women who challenged gender stereotypes and political pressures. [STATUS: Passed House November 10, 1999]
International Abduction Resolution (H. Con. Res. 293) -- A resolution urging other countries to comply with a treaty on international abduction. [STATUS: Passed May 23, 2000; Passed Senate June 23, 2000]
Juvenile Justice Reform Act (H.R. 1501) -- A bill to authorize a three-year, $1.5 billion grant program for states to improve their juvenile justice efforts. [STATUS: Passed House June 17, 1999; Passed Senate July 28, 1999]
Lupus Research and Care Amendments (H.R. 762) -- A bill to provide for research and services with respect to lupus. Lupus effects women nine times more than men. [STATUS: Passed House October 10, 2000]
Marriage Tax Elimination Act of 1999 (H.R. 6) -- A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to eliminate the marriage penalty by providing that the income tax rate bracket amounts, and the amount of the standard deduction for joint returns shall be twice the amounts applicable to unmarried individuals. [STATUS: Passed House and Senate, vetoed]
Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act (H.R. 1143) -- A bill to authorize new funding for foreign microcredit loans. The bill would require at least half of the funding to be used for loans targeting women and the poorest of the poor. [STATUS: Passed House April 13, 1999]
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act (H.R. 1654) -- A bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), that includes $2 million for research and early detection systems for breast and ovarian cancer and other women's health issues. [STATUS: Passed House May 19, 1999; Passed Senate November 5, 1999]
Norwood/Dingell Bipartisan Consensus Patient's Bill of Rights (H.R. 2723) -- A bill which will allow patients to sue their health plans. The bill also guarantees access to emergency care, specialty care, obstetricians-gynecologists, pediatricians, all federally sponsored clinical trials and associated routine care for patients who have life-threatening or serious illnesses, and prescription drugs that are not listed on a plan's formulary if they are prescribed by the patient's physician. [STATUS: Passed House October 7, 1999]
Pap Smear Coverage (H.R. 976/H.R. 2930) -- A bill to increase the amount of payment under the Medicare Program for pap smear laboratory tests. [STATUS: Passed House as part of Medicare, Medicaid, and S-CHIP Balanced Budget Refinement Act of 1999, November 5, 1999]
Postpartum Depression Resolution (H. Res. 163) -- A resolution recommending that hospitals and clinics delivering babies provide new mothers and fathers with complete information about postpartum depression [STATUS: Passed House October 10, 2000]
Qatar Election Resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) -- A resolution congratulating Qatar on its democratic election for Central Municipal Councilmembers. The election, which was held in March, marked the first time that Qatari women have been allowed to vote as well as run for office. [STATUS: Passed House April 13, 1999]
Small Business Reauthorization (H.R. 3843) -- A bill to reauthorize a number of Small Business Administration programs, including the National Women's Business Council. [STATUS: Passed House March 21, 2000]
Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2392) -- A bill to amend the Small Business Act to extend the authorization for the Small Business Innovation Research Program, and for other purposes. [STATUS: Passed House September 25; Passed Senate October 2]
Social Security Reform Resolution (H. J. Res. 32) -- A resolution calling for the President and Congress to cooperate on Social Security reform. The bill contains language recognizing the "particular significance" of Social Security changes to women, due to their longer life expectancies, lower average earnings, and fewer pension assets. [STATUS: Passed House March 2, 1999]
Space Shuttle Commander Honored (H. Res. 267) -- A resolution honoring Colonel Eileen Collins for being the first female commander of a U.S. space shuttle. [STATUS: Passed House August 2, 1999]
Stalking Prevention and Victim Protection Act of 1999 (H.R. 1869) -- A bill to amend current stalking law so that law enforcement officials can better prosecute offenders. [STATUS: Passed House November 10, 1999]
Stop Material Unsuitable for Teens Act (H.R. 4147) -- A bill to increase the age of persons considered to be minors for the purposes of the prohibition on transporting obscene materials to minors. [STATUS: Passed House October 2, 2000]
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Reauthorization
(S. 976) -- A bill to focus the authority of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on community-based services children and adolescents, to enhance flexibility and accountability, to establish programs for youth treatment, and to respond to crises, especially those related to children and violence. [STATUS: Passed Senate November 3, 1999]
Tax Provisions Bill (S. 1792) -- A bill to extend tax breaks, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and the Welfare-to-Work (WtW) Tax Credit, for 18 months. WOTC provides a credit for employers of individuals either who are amongst families receiving benefits under the welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), high-risk youth, vocational rehabilitation referrals, qualified summer youth employees, families receiving food stamps, and/or individuals receiving certain Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. [STATUS: Passed Senate October 29, 1999]
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) (H.R. 2) -- A bill to reauthorize Title I which is designed to help disadvantaged, low-income students reach the same educational levels as other students. The bill included an amendment to reauthorize the Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) at $5 million. [STATUS: Passed House October 21, 1999]
United States Women's Soccer Team Honored (H. Res. 244/S. Res. 141) -- A resolutions congratulating the US Women's Soccer Team on winning the 1999 Women's World Cup Tournament. [STATUS: Passed House July 13, 1999; Passed Senate July 15, 1999]
Victims of Rape Health Protection Act (H.R. 3088) -- A bill to help sexual assault victims by allowing them to request that their alleged assailant be tested for HIV. [STATUS: Passed House October 2, 2000]
IV. MAJOR ACTIONS TAKEN
Contracting with Women-Owned Business Resolution (H. Res. 15) -- A resolution urging federal agencies to contract with women-owned businesses. [STATUS: Passed House Government Reform Committee, April 5, 2000]
Equity in Contracting for Women Act (H.R. 4897) -- A bill that requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to determine the industries in which women- owned businesses are awarded the least number of federal contracts. [STATUS: Passed House Small Business Committee, September 21, 2000]
V. HEARINGS HELD
In addition, hearings were held on the following topics:
Access to Long-Term Care Insurance, Arts Education, Battered Immigrant Women, Child Care, Child Health, Child Health Coverage, Child Labor, Child Protection and Adoption, Child Protection Reform, Child Safety, Child Survival, Child Support, Child Support Enforcement, Children and Media Violence, Class Size, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Crime, Disadvantaged Students, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Estate Tax, Family Caregivers, Family Literacy, Family and Medical Leave Act, Fatherhood, Gender Wage Act, Genetic Discrimination in the Workplace, Global HIV/AIDS epidemic, Hate Crimes, Health Disparities, Kiddie Mac, Legal Services, Magnet Schools, Medicaid for Disabled Children, Medical Records Privacy, Minimum Wage, Non-College Bound Students, Nonmarital Births, Pediatric Cancers, School Facilities, School Violence, Sexual Trafficking, Small Businesses, Stalking, Stem Cell Research, Title IX, Violence Against Women, Teacher Quality, Technology, Welfare Reform, Welfare-to-Work Reauthorization, Women-Owned Businesses, Women Veterans, Youth Violence.
VI. WOMEN IN THE HOUSE IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS
There are currently 58 Women in the House, 41 Democrats and 17 Republicans. They are 12% of the House. There are currently 9 Women Senators, 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans. They are 9% of the Senate.
Congressional leadership elections and committee assignments in the 106th Congress reflect an increasingly high-profile role for women in American politics:
Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sue Kelly (R-NY) serve as Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues.
Rep. Tillie Fowler (R-FL) is the second woman in history to serve as House Republican Conference Vice Chair.
Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH) serves as House Republican Conference Secretary.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) serves as Assistant to the Minority Leader.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) serves as Chief Deputy Whip.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) serves as Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) serves as Democratic Whip-at-Large.
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) serves as General Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-MI) serves as the Women's Caucus representative to the House Democratic Leadership Council.
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) serves as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She is the first female chair of that Caucus in its 22-year history.