[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H3858-H3859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H3858]]
                      NATIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 331) supporting the goals and 
ideals of National Women's Health Week, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 331

       Whereas women of all backgrounds have the power to greatly 
     reduce their risk of common diseases through preventative 
     measures, such as engaging in regular physical activity, 
     eating a nutritious diet, and visiting a healthcare provider 
     to receive regular check-ups and preventative screenings;
       Whereas significant disparities exist in the prevalence of 
     disease among women of different backgrounds, including women 
     with disabilities, African-American women, Asian/Pacific 
     Islander women, Latinas, and American Indian/Alaskan Native 
     women;
       Whereas healthy habits should begin at a young age;
       Whereas preventative care saves Federal dollars designated 
     for health care;
       Whereas it is imperative to educate women and girls about 
     key female health issues;
       Whereas it is recognized that offices of women's health 
     within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food 
     and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, 
     the National Institutes of Health, and the Agency for 
     Healthcare Research and Quality are vital in providing 
     critical services that support women's health research, 
     education, and other necessary services that benefit women of 
     all ages, races, and ethnicities;
       Whereas the annual National Women's Health Week begins on 
     Mother's Day and celebrates the efforts of national and 
     community organizations working with partners and volunteers 
     to improve awareness of key women's health issues; and
       Whereas in 2008, the week of May 11 through May 17 is 
     designated National Women's Health Week: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the importance of preventing diseases that 
     commonly affect women;
       (2) supports the goals and ideals of National Women's 
     Health Week;
       (3) calls on the people of the United States to use 
     National Women's Health Week as an opportunity to learn about 
     the health issues women face;
       (4) calls on the women of the United States to observe 
     National Women's Check-Up Day by receiving preventative 
     screenings from their health care providers; and
       (5) recognizes the importance of federally funded programs 
     that provide research and collect data on common diseases in 
     women.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Capps) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Tim 
Murphy) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 
331. National Women's Health Week is celebrated annually during the 
week following Mother's Day. The purpose of this week is twofold.
  First, we can use it to raise awareness about the health risks all 
women face, especially the risks that are unique to women. We use it to 
learn that, for example, heart disease is the number one killer of 
women, and half a million women die every year in childbirth.
  But the second purpose is so we can take proactive measures to 
improve women's health. We can use this opportunity to remind our 
sisters, our mothers, our daughters and our friends to get annual 
checkups and screenings that are recommended for them at their age. And 
we can use this opportunity to adopt healthier lifestyles that are 
essential to preventing chronic disease.
  As co-chair of the Women's Caucus, I am very proud of several bills 
that have been introduced and/or passed out during this Congress to 
address women's health issues.
  Last year, we reauthorized the National Breast and Cervical Cancer 
Early Detection Program to provide low-income women with access to 
these essential screenings.
  We also passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. And 
nearly every woman in the House is cosponsor of the Heart for Women 
Act, H.R. 1014, as well as H. Res. 1022 regarding maternal health.
  But we are also fortunate to have a few good men, actually more than 
a few good men working with us, such as the ranking member on this 
bill, and Maurice Hinchey who has taken the lead by introducing this 
resolution for a few years now, along with Mary Bono Mack.

                              {time}  1930

  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution in the House today, 
and also to have a conversation with the women in their lives about 
what steps they can take to improve their health.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I also thank the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for her thoughts and input on 
this bill, which I'm pleased to be a cosponsor today.
  Appropriately, National Women's Health Week began this Monday, May 
12, the day after Mother's Day, and this past Monday was National 
Women's Checkup Day. To this end, we encourage all women to discuss 
with their doctor the importance of regular checkups, self exams.
  We also should note that the government has a Web site on this; it's 
www.womenshealth.gov/whw. There they recommend several tests that women 
should get on a regular basis.
  Also like to mention, as we're focusing on women's health, as my 
colleague, my friend from California stated, this is also of interest 
and importance to men. Whether you're fathers or spouses or relatives, 
it's important to also be supportive of women's health and be 
supportive of exams they may need to have.
  As we focus on this, I want to mention a few other conditions that 
impact women and the importance of Federal research funding. 
Fibromyalgia, for example, is a chronic pain illness characterized by 
widespread musculoskeletal aches, pains and stiffness, soft tissue 
tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances.
  Depression is another very important condition to highlight. Women, 
during and after pregnancy, for example, are at much greater risk to 
develop depression, and folks who have a chronic illness are at risk to 
develop depression.
  Oftentimes, we neglect these important symptoms and aspects of health 
care when meeting with a physician. It is very important to review any 
concerns that anyone has, that women have when they have their annual 
exams, such as sleep problems, changes in appetite, mood changes, 
persistent sadness and other things. These are treatable conditions and 
not ones to shun in bringing up and discussing openly and honestly with 
their physician.
  We have other things to comment on this, but at this point I will 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, I'm very pleased to yield 3 minutes at this 
time to the gentleman from New York, Maurice Hinchey.
  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, as the initiator of this resolution, I 
would first like to take a moment to thank Chairman Dingell for 
supporting the resolution and for bringing, being instrumental, rather, 
in bringing it to the floor today.
  I would also like to thank Speaker Pelosi and Mr. Hoyer for their 
determination in bringing this measure to the floor during National 
Women's Health Week, despite the very crowded legislative schedule.
  I would also like to thank Chairman Pallone and all of the fine 
members of the Health Subcommittee and their resolve in getting this 
through the committee and to the floor.
  Finally, I'd like to thank my good friends, Congresswoman Lois Capps 
and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack for taking the lead with me on this 
resolution for the third time in a row.
  This resolution has the bipartisan sponsorship of 114 Members of this 
House. Also, the National Council of Women's Organizations fully 
endorsed this bill on behalf of their 230 member organizations who 
represent 11 million women across our country.
  National Women's Health Week begins annually on Mother's Day. This

[[Page H3859]]

year marks the 9th Annual National Women's Health Week.
  National Women's Health Week is a week celebrated across America. 
During this week, families, communities, businesses, government, health 
organizations and other groups work together to help educate women 
about steps that they could take to improve their physical and mental 
health, and to prevent various disease.
  This week is also used as an opportunity to educate our population 
about important health issues that women face.
  This resolution recognizes the importance of several things, 
including preventing diseases that commonly affect women; federally 
funded programs that provide research and collect data on common 
diseases in women, and it also calls on women to observe National 
Women's Checkup Day by receiving preventive screenings.
  It is vitally important that women have knowledge about the health 
risks that confront them, and that they know they can greatly reduce 
those risks through preventive measures such as a healthy lifestyle and 
regular medical screening.
  Healthy habits should begin at a young age. It is imperative that we 
take the time to educate young girls on the benefits of exercise and 
eating right. If these habits start at a young age, it is more likely 
that they will continue through their life.
  It is important and essential we do everything we can to prevent 
disease. In this spirit, I encourage women to use this week to focus on 
the necessary checkups and preventive screenings from their health care 
providers so that they can live long, healthy and productive lives.
  I urge full support and passage of this very important measure on 
behalf of the women of our country.
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I now yield as much time 
as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), 
a leader and advocate on women's health issues.
  Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Tim Murphy) for the leadership that he brings to our Health 
Subcommittee.
  I also want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for 
her attentiveness to women's health issues. She is an effective 
advocate.
  And to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) for his leadership 
on the issue, and for honoring us, all women, with the resolution and 
bringing the resolution forward to the body as a whole.
  Mr. Speaker, as has been discussed, this is House Concurrent 
Resolution 331, and I do join my colleagues in encouraging all of us, 
not only to support the resolution, but to be effective spokespeople 
for what the resolution means; that we move forward, actively, to 
encourage women to gather the information that they need, because 
indeed, one of the purposes is to encourage women to seek information, 
to become health conscious and as the gentleman from New York said, to 
develop those healthy habits.
  And it is not only adult women that we are speaking to, but it is to 
young girls also as they look at diet, as they look at exercise, as 
they gather information about how to best take care of themselves. And 
we do encourage them to seek that information, to get regular checkups, 
to become knowledgeable of the preventive screenings that will help 
them to stay healthy and to enjoy a better quality of life.
  One thing that we also do is encourage women to have that 
relationship with their primary care physician, somebody that they can 
go to to gather the information about how to become knowledgeable on 
taking care of their bodies.
  We've talked a little bit about some of the diseases that affect 
women, fibromyalgia, depression and, of course, postpartum depression, 
which concerns us all with the young women and those in the child-
bearing years.
  Heart disease also and some of the screenings that are important for 
that. And as the gentleman from Pennsylvania said, there is the website 
where individuals can access this information.
  But we do stand together to promote prevention and awareness for 
disease management so that the women of this Nation are certainly 
taking better care of themselves, and are knowledgeable on the diseases 
that could impair their quality of life and their productivity.
  Again, I join my colleagues and thank them for the leadership on 
Resolution 331. And I appreciate the opportunity to stand and speak on 
the importance of this, and again, encourage all Members, not only to 
support it, but to actually be certain that we disseminate this 
information to our constituents.
  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Seeing as we have no more speakers, 
we're willing to close at this point and again draw attention and thank 
Mr. Hinchey for his support on this resolution. I ask all Members to be 
supportive of it.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAPPS. I want to thank again the authors of this resolution, Mr. 
Hinchey, who is here, and Mary Bono Mack, who is also the other 
coauthor; and to thank the speakers on behalf of this resolution. And 
again, to remind us all the importance of Women's Health Week, setting 
aside the time to call attention to the importance of women taking care 
of their own health and providing the resources so they can do this, 
because it's women's health at stake, but also, often since the woman 
is the primary instigator within the family, and often the community as 
well, of the health of every member, that this serves a purpose that is 
very important to the health of our Nation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy of Connecticut). The question is 
on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) 
that the House suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent 
resolution, H. Con. Res. 331.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________