[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10990-H10991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        CONGRESSIONAL WOMEN'S CAUCUS LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have kept the count for the Women's 
Congressional Caucus of our legislative achievements in a productive 
session for our achievements, working closely with my Republican co-
chair, the gentlewoman from Connecticut.
  I come to the floor this afternoon cheered to know that one of the 
last of our seven must-pass provisions has now finally been passed, 
after having been passed several times, twice in the Senate and in the 
House, and that is a provision that will allow the full range of 
contraceptive drugs and devices for Federal employees who faced Federal 
insurance that was very diverse in what was offered.
  This was a major fight. Abortion politics somehow made its way into 
this mainstream contraceptive issue. Finally, it has been settled and 
these drugs will be provided. That means that four of the seven must-
pass bills of the Women's Caucus, which is a bipartisan caucus in the 
House has been passed.
  We are grateful that the reauthorization of the Mammography Quality 
Standards Act was passed; the reauthorization and strengthening of 
sections of the Violence Against Women Act occurred; that a new 
Commission on Women, Minorities and People with Disabilities in 
Science, Engineering and Technology Jobs will take place.
  Now that the contraceptive priority has passed, the House and the 
Senate have now been passed four out of seven of our priorities. It 
shows what bipartisanship can get us if we are willing to do it.
  The women of the Congress have set the example for the entire 
Congress. I do want this body to know that in addition to our annual 
must-pass provisions, there were other legislative priorities that the 
caucus had and that were passed.
  I am particularly cheered that gender-integrated military training, a 
strong bipartisan goal of the Women's Caucus, occurred. And my hat is 
off to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman) and the gentlewoman 
from Florida (Mrs. Fowler), who were on the committee and carried the 
matter for the caucus.
  Child care, as we desired it, did not come about because no bill came 
to the floor. But I am pleased to note that $45 million was included in 
the Higher Education Reauthorization Act for campus-based child care.
  Mr. Speaker, with all of the concern about taxes, this House did not 
overlook the need for tax relief for innocent spouses, women who were 
left holding the bag after divorce when taxes they did not know were 
not paid fell to them.
  The Women's Caucus has led the notion that women and minorities are 
to be included in clinical trials. Now we have been able to get that 
proposition accepted under the Federal Food and Drug Administration 
Reform Act.
  Mr. Speaker, child support enforcement continues to be a priority 
concern of the congressional women. We are moving along incrementally 
until this full job is done. There are incentive funds that we have 
passed in order to improve the performance of child support enforcement 
programs. We take heart that it has now become a felony if parents do 
not pay their child support for a year, or if they owe more than 
$5,000. That is what a felony ought to be, when we consider what is at 
stake is the lives of children.
  We are pleased that the House, in fact, has helped displaced 
homemakers find job skills. These are woman who will not qualify for 
welfare, many of them divorced or separated, women who now under the 
Job Training Reauthorization Act will in fact be able to get job 
training targeted and focused on them.
  Mr. Speaker, I have been to the floor this week already with a strong 
set of disappointments about women's issues.

[[Page H10991]]

They were quite overwhelming. They involved, especially, choice and 
child care issues. I come to the floor this afternoon, however, 
grateful that we have removed contraception from the women's list of 
demerits for the 105th Congress. May we all do better in the 106th 
Congress.

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