[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H8842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS FOR WOMEN'S ISSUES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentlewoman from Maryland [Mrs. Morella] is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 3 minutes.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Madam Speaker, tonight the Congressional Caucus for 
Women's Issues will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. Since 1977, 
the Caucus has worked to ensure the well-being of women, children and 
families, and has played a major role in the enactment of more than 100 
laws or provisions of laws. The Family and Medical Leave Act, child 
support enforcement legislation, child care legislation, expanded 
funding for women's health research, civil rights legislation, the 
Violence Against Women Act, just to name a few, are among the 
achievements of the Caucus.
  In the last Congress, I had the honor of cochairing the caucus with 
my good friend and colleague, Nita Lowey. We had the difficult 
assignment of guiding the caucus from its former status as a 
legislative service organization with a separate office and five paid 
staffers to the current status as a congressional members organization, 
without paid staff or office space.
  While many of the caucus' folded under the lack of financial and 
staff support, the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues continued to 
thrive and contribute its energies to legislation benefiting women, 
children and families.
  In the 104th Congress, the caucus successfully worked on behalf of 
increased funding for the Violence Against Women Act, women's health 
research, and other priorities at a time when funding was reduced for 
many other programs. We worked to preserve the title X Family Planning 
Program and the Women's Educational Equity Act, and, as part of health 
care reform legislation, the caucus won the inclusion of provisions to 
prevent discrimination by health plans against domestic violence 
victims and on the basis of genetic information. A provision requiring 
insurers to guarantee minimum hospital stays for new mothers was also 
approved.
  We successfully fought for substantial increases in funding to the 
States for child care under welfare reform, and the caucus child 
support enforcement initiative was made part of the bill as well. Most 
recently, provisions to expand Medicare coverage to include annual 
mammograms and bone density testing for the diagnosis and prevention of 
osteoporosis were also made part of the Balanced Budget Act, which is 
now law.
  I am pleased to join with my colleagues today and later tonight in 
celebrating the work of the caucus over these past 20 years, from the 
initial founding of the caucus by Margaret Heckler and Liz Holtzman 
with a bipartisan group of 15 women, through the distinguished 
leadership of Olympia Snowe and Pat Schroeder, to today's organization, 
comprised of 50 women Members of the House under the able leadership of 
cochairs Nancy Johnson and Eleanor Holmes Norton.
  As we celebrate 20 years of accomplishment in sisterhood, I know that 
the caucus will only continue to grow, leading to new advancements for 
women and their families. We still have a long way to go in achieving 
our goal, but we also need to stop and acknowledge the long journey we 
have already traveled.

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