House Bills - 108th Congress

H.R. 4354—The Women’s Health Office Act of 2004

On May 12, 2004, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced H.R. 4354, the Women’s Health Office Act of 2004. The bill would establish in statute an Office of Women’s Health (OWH) within the Office of the Secretary of HHS, headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health. It also would establish 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 be required to: 1) establish goals and objectives and coordinate all activities within DHHS for issues of concern to women; 2) provide advice to the Secretary of HHS concerning scientific, legal, ethical, and policy issues; 3) facilitate coordination of departmental and agency offices on women’s health; 4) establish 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) establish a National Women’s Health Information Center. The bill has 41 cosponsors and was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.