As a Senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, I have worked on behalf of programs to improve women's health. The Congressional climate for these programs is improving and health care experts have increasingly recognized the importance of providing research, detection, prevention, care, and support services individualized to women's health care needs. In the final Fiscal Year 2000 budget, most of the Administration's budget requests were fully funded. Below, please find background information on selected federal programs funded within this Appropriations Subcommittee of importance to women, children, and families.
Selected Women's Health Issues within the Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Women's Health
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women's Health focuses much needed attention on women's health issues. The Office identifies, collects, and disseminates important information on key women's health issues and helps publicize the need for continuted research, prevention, and health care strategies. In Fiscal Year 2000 (FY 2000), the Administration requested $17.522 million and final FY 2000 funding was $15.495 million.
Programs to Assist Children
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) makes funds available for child care services and activities to improve the availability, accessibility, and affordability of child care. Within the Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, CCDBG funds grants to provide low-income families with financial assistance for child care, and to establish early childhood development programs and before-school and after-school programs. A minimum of four percent of these funds is set aside for activities to provide consumer education to parents and the public to improve child care quality and availability. In FY 2000, CCDBG was funded at the President's request of $1.182 billion.
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Within the National Institute of Health, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is the lead national agency supporting research to better understand the process governing the growth and development on the health of infants, children, and youth. With research programs in maternal and children's health, and in the population and rehabilitation sciences, the NICHD portfolio biomedical and behavioral studies targeting research on infant mortality, prevention of birth defects, the development and evaluation of contraceptives and infertility treatments, developmental and reproductive biology, and fetal medicine. In FY 2000, the Administration requested $862.9 million for NICHD and final FY 2000 funding was $972.4 million.
Payments to States for Child Support Enforcement and Family Support Programs The Child Support Enforcement program supports State-administered programs of financial assistance and support services for low-income families to promote their economic security and self-sufficiency. The HHS Administration for Children and Families program is a joint federal/state effort to foster family responsibility and reduce the need for welfare costs by ensuring that children are financially supported by both of their parents. Final FY 2000 funding was $3.252 billion for this program.
The HHS Administration for Children and Families includes several Violent Crime Reduction Programs that offer prevention and protection services to women.
Battered Women The Family Violence Prevention and Services/Battered Women's Shelters program supports programs and projects to prevent incidents of family violence, provide immediate shelter and related assistance for victims of family violence and their dependents and provide resources to programs that provide prevention services for perpetrators. In FY 2000, the Administration requested $102.3 million and final funding was approved for $84 million.
Domestic Violence The Domestic Violence Hotline is a cooperative agreement which funds the operation of a national, toll free telephone hotline to provide information and assistance to victims of domestic violence in an effort to healthy, safe, and supportive communities. These supportive counseling and referral services are provided 24 hours every day of the year. In FY 2000, the Administration requested $1.2 million and final FY 2000 funding was $2 million. When someone calls this hotline, they will speak to a trained advocate, who can offer them crisis intervention, support, and referrals to local services in their communities. The hotline helps to create a more seamless system among local, state, and national service providers. (In emergencies, the hotline can connect callers to their local police, but the best course of action is to call "911" directly for immediate help.) The voice number is 1-800-799-SAFE, and the TDD number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-787-3224.
Rape Prevention Within the Centers for Disease Control, the Crime Trust Funds account funds a Violent Crime Reduction program. This Rape Prevention and Education program is designed to address violent crime and state and local governments can use these funds for rape prevention and education programs conducted by rape crisis centers and other nongovernment agencies for educational seminars; the operation of hotlines; training programs for professionals; preparation of informational materials; and other public outreach. In FY 2000, the Administration requested $45 million and final FY 2000 funding was $45 million.
Runaway Youth The Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth provide outreach services to runaway and street youth who have been sexually abused and/or are particularly vulnerable while on the streets. These services are coordinated with existing services, namely emergency shelter and transitional living program efforts and will serve to increase service provider capacity to this currently under served population. This program was funded at $15 million.
The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) Within the National Institute of Health, The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) supports clinical and basic research to establish a scientific basis for the care of individuals across the life span. The program helps provide the best patient-centered, cost-effective care that leads to a better quality of life for individuals, their families, and care givers. In FY 2000, the Administration requested $90 million and final FY 2000 funding was $109.97 million.
I strongly support the call for a federal cross-agency committee to oversee government funding for environmental health research to ensure that all funding is utilized as Congress intended. Two years ago, I was joined by eight colleagues in the House in requesting the General Accounting Office (GAO) to make recommendations for improving the collection, analysis, and accessibility of environmental health information. Results from this GAO analysis are expected early next year.
