[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 108 (Tuesday, August 4, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H7003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    PROGRESS ON PRIORITY LEGISLATION OF CONGRESSIONAL WOMEN'S CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. 
Norton) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, this year the Women's Caucus made a 
calculated decision to concentrate our energies on 7 must-pass bills. 
This decision is being vindicated as we look at bills that have, in 
fact, already moved forward. These bills say to Members on both sides 
of the aisle that the bipartisan Women's Caucus has 7 bills and expects 
every Member to support these consensus bills. These are easy bills.
  Madam Speaker, I come to the floor this morning to thank the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Brown) for moving the reauthorization of the Mammography Quality 
Standards Act, one of the 7 bills that we believe must be passed before 
we go home. It simply reauthorizes for another 5 years standards that 
would ensure that mammographies are safe, that technicians are well 
trained, and that mammography results are read correctly. This bill, we 
are told, will move to full committee and will be passed by the 
Committee on Commerce in time to reach the floor before we adjourn.
  Madam Speaker, we have already seen progress on the Violence Against 
Women Act; piecemeal to be sure, but better piecemeal than nothing. The 
appropriation of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, The 
Judiciary and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations has 
some of these provisions in it. Some provisions were passed as part of 
the Child Sexual Predator Act.
  The gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) has a commission on the 
advancement of women in the fields of science, engineering and 
technology development, an act that seeks to learn why, and then 
remove, barriers to women coming into and progressing in science. So a 
commission would be established to look at recruitment and advancement 
of women in science, engineering and technology in a country which is 
begging for men and women in the sciences. We cannot afford to let 
female talent go undiscovered, or worse, when discovered, not used. 
This is a must-pass bill.
  There is a women-owned businesses resolution, H. Con. Res. 313, which 
simply calls upon agencies to review the recommendations before them 
for improving the access of women-owned businesses to the Federal 
procurement market. It is women-owned businesses that are growing at a 
rapid pace. That should be reflected in Federal contracts.
  There are 2 more pieces of legislation which we believe we will have 
trouble getting passed this session, but they remain our priorities. 
One is child care legislation. We have endorsed no bill, but have 
indicated 4 principles that every bill must contain. Finally, a bill 
that would bar genetic discrimination, a looming problem. We have 3 
bills by 3 members of the caucus, any one of which would mean great 
progress. The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter); the 
gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Smith); and the gentlewoman from New 
York (Mrs. Lowey) all have submitted different bills.
  Madam Speaker, what this focus of the Women's Caucus says is that men 
and women in this House need to go home saying, we voted for and passed 
Women's Caucus bills this session.




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