107th Congress

Women's Health

S. 2234, H.R. 5104, H. Con. Res. 380, S. 261, H.R. 3989, H.R. 1961/S. 961, H.R. 1723/S. 830, H.R. 2317, S. 1256/H.R. 2725, S. 1398, H.R. 2380, S. 2427, H.R. 360, H.R. 183/S. 720, H.R. 1269, H.R. 4114, H.R. 5204, H.R. 4709, H.R. 1784/S. 946, H. Con. Res 385, H.R. 326, H.R. 3910, H.R. 4602/S. 2328, S. 2271, S. 24, H.R. 281, S. 2004, S. 2559, H.R. 1672/S. 2122, H. Con. Res 165

Background

Women's health has been an ongoing issue for Congress, particularly because of the efforts of the Congressional Women's Caucus, which dates back to April 1977 when 15 Congresswomen attended the first meeting. From 1981, when male colleagues were invited to join, until 1995, when the House of Representatives voted to eliminate funding for offices and staff of the caucus organizations on Capitol Hill, there had been a strong focus on women's issues in a bipartisan and gender-neutral environment. Although the January 1995 vote dissolved the original Women's Caucus, the Members reorganized themselves into a Members organization of the same name. While men no longer belong to the organization, the impetus behind the kinds of legislation fostered by the supporters has not changed.

More than 50 bills were introduced in the 107th Congress that addressed various aspects of women's health. Thirty-seven of those pieces of legislation mentioned the National Institutes of Health (NIH), required some action by NIH, or indirectly affected NIH. Those bills not directly affecting NIH and, therefore, not included here include reauthorization of the Mammography Quality Standards Act; legislation concerning State health insurance for children; legislation concerning prescription coverage for contraceptives; legislation to permit taxpayer donations to Office of Women's Health (OWH); legislation requiring Medicare, Medicaid, or other non-Federal group plans to cover breast reconstruction in connection with a mastectomy; legislation requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide for research on whether drugs approved for human use affect women differently than men; and legislation to provide to participants and beneficiaries of group health plans access to obstetric and gynecological care.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

Autoimmune Diseases

• S. 2234-Women's Autoimmune Diseases Research and Prevention Act
  S. 2234 was introduced on April 23, 2002, by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), to require OWH in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to expand, intensify, and coordinate research and related activities of the Department with respect to autoimmune diseases in women. In particular, the Director of OWH would have been required to coordinate activities with similar ones conducted by the other national research institutes and agencies of NIH to the extent that such institutes and agencies have responsibilities that are related to autoimmune diseases in women. Specifically mentioned in the bill were research on women who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups; basic research concerning the etiology and causes of autoimmune diseases in women, including genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors; studies to address the frequency and natural history of such diseases and the differences between men and women and among racial and ethnic groups; and clinical research for the development and evaluation of new treatments for women. The bill had no cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
• H.R. 5104-Women's Autoimmune Diseases Research and Prevention Act
  H.R. 5104 was introduced on July 11, 2002, by Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA) to provide for expanding, intensifying, and coordinating activities with respect to research on autoimmune diseases in women. The bill would have amended the current NIH statute on autoimmune diseases to include additional requirements for the plan for which the Coordinating Committee is responsible. While the language for the plan is somewhat general ("such as a broad range of research and education activities"), the bill would have added very specific requirements, such as "basic research, epidemiological research, and other appropriate research concerning the etiology and causes of autoimmune diseases in all women, including genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors; giving priority to research regarding environmental factors; and the development of information and education programs on genetic, hormonal, and environmental risk factors associated with autoimmune diseases in women, and on the importance of the prevention or control of such risk factors and timely referral with appropriate diagnosis and treatment." The bill had 20 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Bleeding Disorders

• H. Con. Res. 380-Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Women With Bleeding Disorders
  H. Con. Res. 380 was introduced on April 17, 2002, by Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) to highlight the issue of bleeding disorders, such as von Willebrand's disease, and to encourage physicians to conduct clotting factor assays for carrier diagnosis and to refer patients for genetic counseling when appropriate. The resolution urged the Federal Government to increase funding for basic biomedical research and psychosocial research on von Willebrand's disease, rare factor deficiencies, and hemophilia. For NIH, the resolution encouraged the Director of NIH to develop a 5-year research plan concerning women with bleeding disorders. The bill had 19 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Breast Research

• H.R. 1961/S. 961—Breast Implant Research and Information Act
  H.R. 1961 was introduced on May 23, 2001, by Representative Roy Blunt (R-MO) and S. 961 was introduced on May 24, 2001, by Senator Boxer to promote research to identify and evaluate the health effects of breast implants, ensure that women receive accurate information about such implants, and encourage FDA to thoroughly review the implant manufacturers' standing with the Agency. For NIH, the bills would have required the Director of NIH to 1) report to all appropriate committees of Congress on the status of the existing breast implant research funded by the Institutes, 2) appoint an official of DHHS to serve as the NIH coordinator regarding breast implant research (NCI, Office of Research on Women's Health [ORWH], National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [NIEHS], and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke are specifically named), 3) establish either a study section or special emphasis panel for NIH to review extramural breast implant research grant applications to ensure research design and quality, as well as quality intramural research, and 4) conduct or support research to expand the understanding of the health implications of both saline and silicone breast implants. The House bill had 37 cosponors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill had one cosponsor, Senator John R. Edwards (D-NC), and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
• H.R. 1723/S. 830—Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2001
  H.R. 1723 and S. 830 were introduced on May 3, 2001, by Representative Lowey and Senator Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI), respectively, to expand research on the relationship between environmental factors and the development of breast cancer by creating centers of excellence designed to study the issue. These bills would have required the Director of NIEHS to make grants for the development and operation of not more than eight Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Centers of Excellence to study environmental factors related to the etiology of breast cancer. H.R. 1723 and S. 830 also contained provisions that would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to oversee the peer-review process and provide funding and programmatic recommendations about the centers to the Director of NIEHS. The nine-member panel would have comprised six physicians or health care professionals and three members of the general public who have either suffered from breast cancer or who represent an affected constituency. This panel would have been in addition to the standard NIH peer-review panels. (Standard NIH peer-review panels include the initial review groups or study sections and NIH Institute and Center councils. Both legislatively mandated bodies were created to provide peer review.) The legislation would have authorized the centers for up to 5 years (FYs 2002 through 2007) at $30 million for each fiscal year, and would have required the Director of NIEHS to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of centers, to the extent that this was possible. The House bill had 199 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill had 44 cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. (For more information on this legislation, see the article entitled "Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2001.")

Cancer Research Funding Stamp

• H.R. 2317—Repeal of Sunset for Breast Cancer Stamp
  H.R. 2317 was introduced on June 26, 2001, by Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) to make permanent the provision under which the U.S. Postal Service is authorized to issue a special postage stamp to help provide funding for breast cancer research. Seventy percent of the proceeds from the stamp was designated for NIH and the remainder for the U.S. Department of Defense. The bill had 23 cosponsors and was jointly referred to the House Committees on Government Reform, on Energy and Commerce, and on Armed Services.
• S. 1256/H.R. 2725—Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act of 2001
  S. 1256 was introduced on July 26, 2001, by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and H.R. 2725 was introduced on August 2, 2001, by Representative Sue W. Kelly (R-NY) to provide for the reauthorization of the special postage stamp for breast cancer research. Specifically, the bills, which were not passed as freestanding measures but were incorporated into another bill, extended the authorization for the stamp until July 2008. They also exempted this stamp from any limitation relating to whether more than one semipostal stamp may be offered for sale at the same time. The Senate bill had 86 cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation and Federal Services. The House bill had 211 cosponsors and was jointly referred to the House Committees on Government Reform, on Energy and Commerce, and on Armed Services. The provisions of these bills were incorporated into P.L. 107-67, the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2002. (See the article entitled "2002 Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act.")
• S. 1398—Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2002
  S. 1398 was introduced September 4, 2001, by Senator Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) and included a provision to reauthorize the special postage stamp for breast cancer research through July 29, 2008 (identical to the provisions of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp Act of 2001). This provision was included in Conference Report 107-253, which subsequently became P.L. 107-67 on November 12, 2001. For more information on this legislation, see the article entitled "2002 Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act."

Depression

• H.R. 2380—Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act
  H.R. 2380 was introduced on June 28, 2001, by Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) to provide for research on and services for individuals with postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. The Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) would have been required to expand and intensify research and related activities with respect to postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. NIMH also would have been required to coordinate with other NIH Institutes and establish research programs to expand the understanding of, discover the causes of, and find a cure for postpartum conditions. The bill would have authorized such sums as may be necessary for each of the FYs 2002 through 2004. The bill had 125 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. For more information on this legislation, see the article entitled "Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act."
• S. 2427—Preventing Depression in Preadolescent and Adolescent Girls and Women Act of 2002
  S. 2427 was introduced on April 30, 2002, by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) to require NIMH and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants to prevent and treat depression. The bill would have required the Secretary of HHS, acting through NIH, to award grants to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to prevent and treat depression in preadolescent and adolescent girls and in women in diverse populations who are at risk for depression. The bill would have authorized funds to be used to 1) develop screening measures for use in community centers, 2) train educational and health professionals, and 3) develop educational, prevention, and treatment strategies. Authorizations would have been $10 million for FY 2003 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the FYs 2004 through 2006. The bill was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and had no cosponsors.

Dioxin/Feminine Hygiene Products

• H.R. 360—Robin Danielson Act
  H.R. 360 was introduced on February 14, 2001, by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to establish a program of research addressing the risks posed by the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers, and other additives in feminine hygiene products and to establish a program for the collection and analysis of data on toxic shock syndrome. Specifically, the bill would have required the Director of NIH, in collaboration with the Director of ORWH, to provide for research to determine the extent to which these additives might pose any risk to the health of women or their children. Reports on the research were to be submitted periodically to Congress, the FDA Commissioner, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The reports also were to be made available to the public. The bill had 15 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Environmental Research Centers

• H.R. 183/S. 720—Women's Health Environmental Research Centers Act of 2000
  H.R. 183 was introduced on January 3, 2001, by Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), and S. 720 was introduced on April 5, 2001, by Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), to require NIEHS to develop and operate multidisciplinary research centers to study the impact of environmental factors on women's health and disease prevention. Specifically, the bills would have required the Director of NIEHS, in consultation with the Director of ORWH, to award grants for not more than six centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women's health conditions. The centers would have been required to conduct basic and clinical research; develop and conduct training programs and continuing education programs for physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health professionals; and educate the public. The centers would have been required to give priority to activities directed toward disease prevention. The House bill would have authorized $4 million for FY 2001 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the FYs 2002 through 2005. The Senate bill would have authorized $4 million for FY 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the FYs 2003 through 2006. H.R. 183 had 67 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. S. 720 had one cosponsor, Senator Debbie A. Stabenow (D-MI), and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Global Health

• H.R. 1269—Global Health Act of 2001
  H.R. 1269 was introduced on March 28, 2001, by Representative Joseph Crowley (D-NY) to improve global health by increasing assistance to developing nations with high levels of infectious disease and premature death, improving the health and nutrition of women and children, reducing unintended pregnancies, and combating the spread of infectious diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS. The bill stated that it would be the Sense of Congress that the President, acting through the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), should coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIH, the U.S. Department of State, DHHS, the U.S. Department of Defense, and other appropriate Federal departments and agencies to ensure that funds to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 were used effectively. The bill had 74 cosponsors and was referred to the House International Relations Committee.
• H.R. 4114—GAINS for Women and Girls Act of 2002
  H.R. 4114 was introduced on April 9, 2002, by Representatives Lowey and Connie A. Morella (R-MD) to amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and other specified Federal laws to address issues for women in the national economies of developing countries. There was a provision included in the bill that would have required the Administrator of USAID to "coordinate activities to research and promote the use of microbicides for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases with appropriate institutes, including the National Institutes of Health, to the extent such institutes have responsibilities that are related to the development of microbicides and their distribution in the developing world." The bill had 11 cosponsors and was jointly referred to the House Committees on International Relations, on Ways and Means, and on Financial Services.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

• H.R. 5204—Hormone Replacement Therapy Alternative Treatment Fairness Act
  H.R. 5204 was introduced on July 24, 2002, by Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) to ensure coverage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and alternative treatments for HRT under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, group health plans and individual health insurance coverage, and other Federal health insurance programs. In the purpose clause, the bill stated that the "Women's Health Initiative terminated its study on the synthetic version of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) 3 years early due to findings that the combination of estrogen and progestin increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, blood clots, and breast cancer." It then noted that "Government insurance programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs do not cover nonprescription alternative HRT treatments. Most private insurance does not cover nonprescription alternative HRT treatments." While NIH is not specifically mentioned, the bill would have required coverage for alternative therapy for HRT for treatment of menopausal symptoms if "the therapy is recommended by a health care provider who is licensed, accredited, or certified under State law and if it has been proven safe and effective in peer-reviewed scientific studies." The bill had four cosponsors and was referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, on Ways and Means, on Education and the Workforce, on Government Reform, on Veterans Affairs, and on Armed Services.
• H.R. 4709—Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2002
  H.R. 4709 was introduced on May 9, 2002, to authorize the Director of NIEHS to conduct and coordinate a research program on hormone disruption. Specifically, NIEHS would have been required to establish a comprehensive research program on the occurrence and impact of hormone-disrupting chemicals as they affect human, ecological, and wildlife health; compile scientifically valid information emphasizing the effect of low doses during critical life stages and the extent of human and wildlife exposure; and to establish a Hormone Disruption Research Panel within the Institute. The Secretary of HHS would have been directed to establish the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission. The bill had 14 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the House Committees on Resources and on Science.

Office of Women's Health

• H.R. 1784/S. 946—Women's Health Office Act of 2001
  H.R. 1784 was introduced on May 9, 2001, by Representative Morella and S. 946 was introduced on May 24, 2001, by Senator Snowe to establish an OWH in statute within the Office of the Secretary of HHS, which would have been headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health. It also would have established women's health offices in CDC, HRSA, FDA, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Under current law, only NIH and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have permanent authorizations for their offices on women's health. OWH would have been responsible for 1) establishing goals and objectives and coordinating all activities within DHHS related to disease prevention, health promotion, service delivery, research, and public and health care professional education, 2) providing advice to the Secretary of HHS concerning scientific, legal, ethical, and policy issues, 3) facilitating coordination of departmental and agency offices on women's health, 4) establishing a DHHS Coordinating Committee on Women's Health, chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, and comprising representatives from each of the agencies and offices of the Department, and 5) establishing a National Women's Health Information Center. The House bill had 96 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill had 14 cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Ovarian Cancer

• H. Con. Res. 385—Ovarian Cancer Screening
  H. Con. Res. 385 was introduced on July 23, 2002, by Representative Steve J. Israel (D-NY) to express the "Sense of the Congress that the Secretary of Health and Human Services should conduct or support research on certain tests to screen for ovarian cancer, and Federal health care programs and group and individual health plans should cover the tests if demonstrated to be effective." In particular, NIH would have been encouraged to determine the effectiveness of the medical screening technique of using proteomic patterns in blood serum to identify ovarian cancer and other promising ovarian cancer research that may lead to breakthroughs in screening techniques. The goal would have been to ensure that if a medical screening technique should become effective for identifying ovarian cancer, Federal health care programs and group and individual health plans would cover the technique. The resolution had 147 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. On July 11, 2002, the House Committee reported the bill, and it was passed by voice vote in the House on July 22.
• H.R. 326—Ovarian Cancer Research and Information Amendments of 2001
  H.R. 326 was introduced on January 31, 2001, by Representative Patsy T. Mink (D-HI) to authorize appropriations for ovarian cancer research. The bill would have amended NCI's statute to create a specific authorization relative to ovarian cancer of $150 million for FY 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for FYs 2003 and 2004. This legislation stipulated that 50 percent of the funds would be for research involving treatment and clinical trials and 50 percent would be for research that does not involve treatment and clinical trials. The Director of NCI would have been required to give priority to research on developing a test for the early detection of ovarian cancer; identifying precursor lesions and determining the manner in which benign conditions progress to malignant status; identifying the relationship between ovarian cancer and endometriosis; and ensuring that in clinical studies, appropriate counseling is provided to women who participate, including informing women that "subject to changes in the applicable facts," there may be a genetic basis for such cancer. In addition, H.R. 326 would have amended the requirement that NCI conduct and support information and education programs on ovarian cancer to include language stating that such programs should focus on screening procedures, the possibility of a genetic basis for the cancer, factors that indicate a substantial risk for such cancer, and various treatment options. Additionally, this legislation would have required that the membership of the National Cancer Advisory Board include one or more individuals who are at high risk for developing ovarian cancer. The bill had 142 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
• H.R. 3910—Protect Our Women From Ovarian Cancer Act of 2002
  H.R. 3910 was introduced on March 7, 2002, by Representative Israel to provide coverage under the Medicare Program for certain tests to screen for ovarian cancer upon certification by the Director of NIH that such tests are effective. The bill would have directed the Secretary of HHS, acting through the Director of NIH, to conduct or support research on the effectiveness of the medical screening technique of using proteomic patterns in blood serum to identify ovarian cancer, including the effectiveness of using this technique in combination with other screening methods for ovarian cancer. The Secretary of HHS also would have been required to submit a report to Congress on this research, including an evaluation that analyzes the effectiveness of this screening technique. The bill had no cosponsors and was referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and on Ways and Means.

Pregnancy Outcomes

• H.R. 4602/S. 2328—Safe Motherhood Act for Research and Treatment (SMART Mom Act)
  H.R. 4602 and S. 2328 were introduced on April 25, 2002, by Representative John D. Dingell (D-MI) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), respectively. The bills would have established an Interagency Coordinating Committee on Safe Motherhood, to include the Director of NIH (and the heads of such Institutes, Centers, and Offices as the Director deemed appropriate), to develop a coordinated Federal research and strategic action plan for safe motherhood. The bills would have required the Director of NIH, acting through the Director of NICHD and in collaboration with the Directors of other appropriate Institutes and Offices, to expand and intensify research activities with respect to conditions that lead to pregnancy-related illnesses and injury and death before, during, and after pregnancy, and to expand research to improve the understanding and treatment of pregnant women who have chronic diseases, physical impairments, or mental health conditions. The House bill had two cosponsors and was referred to House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill had six cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. On September 17, the bill was amended and reported out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. No NIH-relevant provisions were included in the amended, reported bill. For more information on this legislation, see the article entitled "Safe Motherhood Act for Research and Treatment."
• S. 2271—Post-Abortion Support and Services Act
  S. 2271 was introduced on April 25, 2002, by Senator Robert C. Smith (R-NH) to provide for research on and services for individuals with post-abortion depression and psychosis. The bill would have required the Secretary of HHS, acting through the Director of NIH, and the Director of NIMH to expand and intensify research and related activities of the Institute with respect to post-abortion depression and the physical side effects of having an abortion, including infertility, excessive bleeding, cervical tearing, infection, and death. The Director of NIMH would have been required to coordinate the activities of the other national research institutes and agencies of NIH relative to post-abortion conditions. Specific types of research were outlined in the bill, including a national longitudinal study to determine the incidence and prevalence of cases of post-abortion conditions and the symptoms, severity, and duration of such cases, and to develop diagnostic techniques. Beginning not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment and periodically thereafter for the duration of the longitudinal study, the Director of NIMH would have been required to submit reports to Congress on the findings of the study. The bill would have authorized $3 million for each of the FYs 2002 through 2006. The bill had three cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Research Trust Fund

• S. 24—Health Care Assurance Act of 2001
  S. 24 was introduced on January 22, 2001, by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) to, among numerous other provisions, establish a National Fund for Health Research in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The funds, derived from health premiums, would have been provided in increasing percentages over a 4-year period. Of the totals for each year, 2 percent of the fund would have been distributed to the NIH Office of the Director each fiscal year to be allocated at the Director's discretion to ORWH, the Office of Research on Minority Health (which has now been legislatively replaced by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities), and the Offices of Rare Diseases, of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, of Dietary Supplements, and of Disease Prevention. This allocation could have been used for the construction and acquisition of equipment or facilities. An additional 2 percent would have been available for the National Center for Research Resources for extramural facilities construction; 1 percent would have been available for health information communications; and the remainder of such amounts would have been available to member NIH Institutes and Centers, including the Office of AIDS Research, in the same proportion to the total amount as the amount of annual appropriations for the fiscal year. The bill had no cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
• H.R. 281—Taxpayers' Cancer Research Funding Act of 2001
  H.R. 281 was introduced on January 30, 2001, by Representative Peter King (R-NY) to establish within the U.S. Department of the Treasury a trust fund to be known as the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund. When filing an income tax return, individuals would have been given the opportunity to designate $5 (or $10 in the case of a joint return) to be paid to the fund. The money in the fund would have been made available for making research grants to a "qualified person selected by the National Cancer Institute" through the peer-review process to conduct research on breast and prostate cancer. This money would have supplemented, not supplanted, existing funds for breast and prostate cancer research. H.R. 281 had 92 cosponsors and was jointly referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Trauma and Women

• S. 2204—Women in Trauma Act of 2002
  S. 2204 was introduced on April 18, 2002, by Senator Edwards to improve treatment for the mental health and substance abuse needs of women with histories of trauma, including domestic and sexual violence. The bill would have required the Secretary of HHS, acting through the Director of NIMH, and in consultation with the Administrator of SAMHSA, to award grants to build the evidence base for new treatment interventions that simultaneously address trauma, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders (including posttraumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders, and dissociative disorders) and the integration of existing interventions for the treatment of trauma, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety disorders (including posttraumatic stress disorder, psychotic disorders, and dissociative disorders). The bill would have authorized $50 million for FY 2003 and such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter. The bill had two cosponsors, Senators Landrieu and Patty Murray (D-WA), and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
• S. 2559—Expanding Research for Women in Trauma Act of 2002
  S. 2559 was introduced on May 23, 2002, by Senator Edwards to expand research for women in trauma. The bill specified that the following research be pursued: 1) increasing and expanding specified violence prevention research initiatives that focus on violence against women and special populations including adolescents and ethnic minorities, and 2) awarding grants for such programs for a maximum 5-year period. Specifically, the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Directors of CDC, NIMH, OWH, ORWH, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, would have been required to expand research on special populations, increase research on violence against women as a risk factor for various mental and physical health problems, develop and test effective methods of screening for violence, expand research on sociocultural correlates of violence, develop quantifiable measures to evaluate treatment programs and prevention strategies, and other issues related to the psychological aftereffects of violence against women. The bill would have authorized $50 million for FY 2003 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the FYs 2004 through 2006. The bill had two cosponsors, Senators Landrieu and Murray, and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Uterine Fibroids

• H.R. 1672/S. 2122—Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act of 2001
  H.R. 1672 was introduced on May 2, 2001, by Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and S. 2122 was introduced on April 15, 2001, by Senator Jean Carnahan (D-MO) to authorize increased funding for research on uterine fibroids through NIH, and a program to provide information and education to the public on such fibroids. In addition to other authorizations of appropriations available for the purpose of conducting and supporting such research, NIH would have been authorized $10 million for each of the FYs 2002 through 2006. The House bill had 89 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The Senate bill had nine cosponsors and was referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
• H. Con. Res. 165—Expressing the Sense of Congress That Continual Research and Education Into the Cause and Cure for Fibroid Cancer Be Addressed
  H. Con. Res. 165 was introduced on June 19, 2001, by Representative Millender-McDonald, and stated that 1) Congress recognized the health and educational needs of women in the United States who may be suffering from fibroids, 2) it was the Sense of Congress that the medical community should explore alternatives to hysterectomies in greater detail so that women who choose to bear children in their lives may do so while eliminating recurring fibroids, 3) Congress encouraged women to pay greater attention to their reproductive health by making regular visits to their obstetricians/gynecologists and also encouraged women and their physicians to know all safe options available for the prevention and cure of fibroids, and 4) research conducted by NIEHS indicated that while estrogen and progesterone are contributing factors, fibroids could be targeted by environmental chemicals whose effects are mediated through the estrogen and/or progesterone receptors. No action would have been required by NIH. The resolution had no cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The resolution passed the House on May 20, 2002.

Status and Outlook

The provisions of S. 1256/H.R. 2725 were incorporated into Public Law 107-67, the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act of 2002, which was signed by the President on November 12, 2001. There were no further actions taken on the other women's health legislation introduced in the 107th Congress.