[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3569 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3569

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for an increase in 
  the amount of Federal funds expended to conduct research on alcohol 
                   abuse and alcoholism among women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 19, 1993

 Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for an increase in 
  the amount of Federal funds expended to conduct research on alcohol 
                   abuse and alcoholism among women.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women and Alcohol Research Equity 
Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows with respect to the United States:
            (1) One of every 3 alcoholics receiving treatment is a 
        woman.
            (2) In fiscal year 1992, the National Institute on Alcohol 
        Abuse and Alcoholism had a total research budget of 
        $169,000,000, and only $14,200,000 of the budget (approximately 
        8 percent) was available for research on alcohol abuse and 
        alcoholism among women. Research on this topic is critical 
        because alcoholism has long been known to be a gender-specific 
        disease.
            (3) Women continue to be underrepresented in treatment 
        programs. Women make up less than 25 percent of all publicly 
        funded alcohol treatment admissions and about 30 percent of 
        treatment admissions for other drug dependencies although women 
        make up an estimated 50 percent of the total alcohol and drug 
        dependent population.
            (4) Alcohol use by pregnant women is the leading known 
        cause of mental retardation in newborns. Fetal alcohol 
        syndrome, which is marked by dysfunction of the central nervous 
        system and by prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency and 
        facial malformations, strikes 1 to 3 out of every 1,000 
        newborns, or 3,600 to 10,000 babies a year. The incidence of 
        less severe fetal alcohol effects is at least 3 times that of 
        fetal alcohol syndrome. Research is also needed on the male 
        contribution to birth abnormalities related to alcohol and 
        other drug use.
            (5) Most treatment programs do not provide child care or 
        adequate alternatives for women entering treatment.
            (6) The death rate of female alcoholics is 50 to 100 
        percent higher than for male alcoholics.
            (7) More alcoholic women die of cirrhosis of the liver than 
        do alcoholic men.
            (8) Combined effects of estrogen and alcohol augment liver 
        damage.
            (9) Women experience greater physiological damage from 
        consumption of alcohol than do their male counterparts. The 
        interval between the onset of drinking and entry into treatment 
        appears to be shorter for women than men.
            (10) Negative effects of drinking show up earlier in women 
        than men, even when they consume less alcohol than men. This 
        disease process is ``telescoped'' or accelerated in women.
            (11) Women become intoxicated faster than men. This is due 
        to a different enzyme activity than men and hormonal 
        fluctuations in women.
            (12) Chronic, heavy drinking contributes to menstrual 
        disorders, fertility problems, and premature menopause.
            (13) Alcohol use may be associated with an increased risk 
        of breast cancer. Research indicates that the incidence of 
        breast cancer increases when a woman consumes 1 ounce or more 
        of absolute alcohol daily.
            (14) The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 
        has identified areas for future research on alcohol abuse and 
        alcoholism among women. These areas were identified by the 
        Institute more than a decade ago, yet a sufficient number of 
        research projects regarding such areas has yet to be conducted.

SEC. 3. PROVISIONS REGARDING INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF FUNDS EXPENDED FOR 
              RESEARCH ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM AMONG WOMEN.

    Section 464H(d)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
285n(d)(1)), as added by section 122 of Public Law 102-321 (106 Stat. 
358), is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``For 
fiscal year 1994, of the first $176,442,000 appropriated under the 
preceding sentence, the Director of the Institute shall obligate not 
less than $14,200,000 for the purpose of carrying out under this 
subpart projects of research on alcohol abuse and alcoholism among 
women, and of the amounts appropriated under such sentence in excess of 
$176,442,000, the Director shall obligate for such purpose not less 
than $23,250,000.''.

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