108th Congress

Women's Health

H.R. 370, H. Con. Res. 314, S. 415, H.R. 1241, H.R. 1657, H.R. 1692, H.R. 1746/S. 983, S. 2000/H.R. 1385, H. Con. Res. 186, H.R. 1267, H.R. 852/S. 1588, H.R. 373, H. Con. Res. 277, H.R. 3438, H. Res. 522, H.R. 4979, H.R. 846/S. 450, S. 1726/H.R. 3350, H. Con. Res. 30/S. Con. Res. 33, S. 1811, H.R. 2157/S. 1087, H.R. 3459/S. 1833

Background

During the 108th Congress, more than 50 bills that addressed women’s health issues were introduced. Women’s health legislation affecting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) addressed topics such as autoimmune disease research, bleeding disorders, breast cancer research, diabetes, domestic violence, environmental factors affecting women’s health, feminine hygiene product research, gynecological/ovarian cancer, postpartum depression (PPD), prematurity research, trauma research, and uterine fibroids. Most of this legislation was also introduced in the 107th Congress but was not passed in either the 107th or 108th Congresses.

Provisions of the Legislation/Impact on NIH

Autoimmune Disease Research

• H.R. 370—Women’s Autoimmune Diseases Research and Prevention Act
  H.R. 370, introduced by Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA) on January 27, 2003, would have provided for expanding, intensifying, and coordinating activities with respect to research on autoimmune diseases in women. The bill would have amended the current NIH statute on autoimmune diseases to include additional requirements for the plan for which the Coordinating Committee is responsible. While the language describing the plan was somewhat general (“such as a broad range of research and education activities”), the bill would have added specific requirements, including “basic research, epidemiological research, and other appropriate research concerning the etiology and causes of autoimmune diseases in all women, including genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors; giving priority to research regarding environmental factors; and the development of information and education programs on genetic, hormonal, and environmental risk factors associated with autoimmune diseases in women, and on the importance of the prevention or control of such risk factors and timely referral with appropriate diagnosis and treatment.” H.R. 370 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
• H. Con. Res. 314—Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Women With Bleeding Disorders
  H. Con. Res. 314, introduced by Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) on October 29, 2003, was a concurrent resolution expressing the support of Congress for activities to increase Federal activity regarding women and bleeding disorders. The resolution would have asked for further research to identify a more accurate laboratory test for von Willebrand’s disease; increased funding for basic biomedical and psychosocial research on von Willebrand’s disease, rare blood disorders, and hemophilia; and continued to improve access to treatment centers for all individuals with bleeding disorders. It also stated that the “Director of NIH should take a leadership role in the fight against bleeding disorders in women by acting through appropriate offices within the NIH.” H. Con. Res. 314 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Breast Cancer Research

• S. 415—Consumer Involvement in Breast Cancer Research Act
  S. 415, introduced by Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) on February 14, 2003, would have amended the Public Health Service Act to require the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to the extent practicable, to increase the involvement of individuals who are accountable to, represent, and report back to organizations that represent those affected by breast cancer in decisionmaking regarding breast cancer issues at NCI. S. 415 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. For further information on this legislation, see the article entitled “Consumer Involvement in Breast Cancer Research Act.”
• H.R. 1241—Better Screening Test for Women Act
  H.R. 1241, introduced by Representative Nita M. Lowey (D-NY) on March 12, 2003, would have amended NCI's authority under the Public Health Service Act on Breast and Gynecological Cancers to add new authorization language for early detection and screening methods for breast cancer. The bill would have authorized $55 million for each of the fiscal years (FYs) 2004 through 2008. In addition, $5 million would have been authorized for each of the FYs 2004 through 2008 to conduct and support research and data collection on the link between early detection of breast cancer and the reduction of mortality rates. H.R. 1241 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
• H.R. 1657—Annie Fox Act
  H.R. 1657, introduced by Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) on April 7, 2003, would have amended the Public Health Service Act language for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to add a new section on Programs Regarding Breast Cancer in Younger Women. The bill would have required NIEHS to provide for an expansion and intensification of the conduct and support of basic and clinical research and education on the causes, prevention, detection, treatment, and long-term effects of breast cancer in younger women, including the long-term effects of treatment. The bill would have authorized $9 million for each of the FYs 2004 through 2009 for research to find the causes of breast cancer in younger women, investigate the long-term effects of cancer therapies on younger women, improve diagnostic tools and techniques, and increase educational outreach within the medical community and to the general public. The legislation was named for Annie Fox, a breast cancer activist from Marin County, CA, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 29 and died of the disease at age 35. H.R. 1657 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
• H.R. 1692—Taxpayers’ Cancer Research Funding Act of 2003
  H.R. 1692, introduced by Representative Peter King (R-NY) on April 9, 2003, would have established a trust fund within the U.S. Department of the Treasury to be known as the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Fund. When filing their income tax return, individuals would have been given the opportunity to designate $5 (or $10 for joint returns) to be paid to the fund. The money in the fund would have been made available for making research grants to a “qualified person selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)” through the peer-review process to conduct research with respect to breast and prostate cancer. This money would have supplemented, not supplanted, existing funds for breast and prostate cancer research. H.R. 1692 was referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and on Ways and Means. For further information on this legislation, see the article entitled “Taxpayers’ Cancer Research Funding Act of 2003.”
• H.R. 1746/S. 983—Breast Cancer and Environment Research Act of 2003
  H.R. 1746/S. 983, companion bills introduced by Representative Lowey on April 10, 2003, and Senator Lincoln D. Chafee (R-RI) on May 1, 2003, respectively, would have amended the Public Health Service Act to expand research on the relationship between environmental factors and the development of breast cancer by creating centers of excellence designed to study the issue. These bills would have required the Director of NIEHS to make grants for the development and operation of not more than eight Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Centers of Excellence to study environmental factors related to the etiology of breast cancer. H.R. 1746 and S. 983 also contained provisions that would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Panel to oversee the peer-review process and provide funding and programmatic recommendations about the centers to the Director of NIEHS. The nine-member panel would have comprised six physicians or health care professionals and three members of the general public who either have suffered from breast cancer or represent an affected constituency. This panel would have been constituted in addition to the standard NIH peer-review panels. (Standard NCI peer-review panels include the initial review groups or study sections and NIH Institute and Center councils. Both legislatively mandated bodies were created to provide peer review.) This legislation would have authorized the centers for up to 5 years (FYs 2004 through 2009) at $30 million for each fiscal year and would have required the Director of NIEHS to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of centers, to the extent possible. H.R. 1746 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. S. 983 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
• S. 2000/H.R. 1385—Special Postage Stamp for Breast Cancer Research
  S. 2000 was introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and was passed by the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on December 9, 2003. The measure would have amended Federal postal law in order to extend the U.S. Postal Service’s authority to issue special postage stamps to provide funding for breast cancer research through December 31, 2005. Its companion measure, H.R. 1385, was introduced by Representative Joe Baca (D-CA) on March 20, 2003, and was referred to the House Committees on Government Reform, on Energy and Commerce, and on Armed Services. That measure was passed by the House on January 27, 2004. This provision for a semipostal stamp for breast cancer was also included in S. 2676, introduced by Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) on July 15, 2004. The primary purpose of this bill was to amend chapter 4 of Title 39, U.S. Code, to provide for the issuance of a semipostal stamp in order to provide funding for childhood drinking prevention and education.
  
  The funding authority for the breast cancer stamp, which Congress first authorized in 1997 (P.L. 105-41, Stamp Out Breast Cancer Act), was due to expire at the end of 2003. However, a provision included in the Omnibus Appropriations bill for FY 2004 (P.L. 108-199), signed on January 23, 2004, extended the stamp until 2005.

Diabetes

Half of all diabetes cases, an estimated 9.1 million cases, occur in women. Women with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk of heart disease than women without diabetes, and women with diabetes who are diagnosed with heart disease have lower survival rates than diabetic men with the same diagnosis. The death rate for women ages 25–44 with diabetes is more than three times the rate for those without diabetes.

• H. Con. Res. 186—National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women’s Health
  H. Con. Res. 186, introduced by Representative George R. Nethercutt, Jr. (R-WA) on May 20, 2003, was a concurrent resolution expressing the support of Congress for the funding and implementation of the proposed National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women’s Health. The initiative would have had three phases: a report, an action plan, and a national conference. This initiative was cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Diabetes Association, American Public Health Association, and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. H. Con. Res. 186 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Domestic Violence

• H.R. 1267—Domestic Violence Screening, Treatment, and Prevention Act of 2003
  H.R. 1267, introduced by Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) on March 13, 2003, would have required the Secretary of HHS to establish family violence research and education centers to conduct research and disseminate information, including information on professional and public education, concerning family violence. This measure would have required that at least one center be affiliated with NIH, that one center be affiliated with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and that each center be linked to national, State, and local community resources, including domestic violence State coalitions and local shelter-based domestic violence programs, community health centers, health care delivery systems, and domestic and sexual assault hotlines, through which information may be distributed. Research conducted at these centers would have concerned 1) the prevalence and characteristics of different forms of family violence, 2) the effects that family violence and childhood exposure to family violence have on health behaviors; health conditions; and the health status of individuals, families, and populations and on the health care use and costs attributable to family violence, 3) effective interventions for adults and children exposed to family violence, 4) the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of appropriate curriculums for training health professionals in the area of family violence, 5) the effects of mandatory domestic violence reporting requirements, and 6) research on and testing of the most effective messages and strategies to mobilize public action concerning the prevention of family violence. H.R. 1267 was referred to the House Committees on Government Reform and on Energy and Commerce.

Environmental Factors Affecting Women’s Health

Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY) and Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) introduced the Women’s Health Environmental Research Centers Act of 2000 in the 107th Congress. In the 108th Congress, they introduced the following similar legislation:

• H.R. 852/S. 1588—Environmental Health Research Act of 2003
  H.R. 852, introduced by Representative Slaughter on March 10, 2003, and cosponsored by Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), and S. 1588, introduced by Senator Landrieu on September 5, 2003, would have authorized NIEHS to develop multidisciplinary research centers to focus on women’s health and disease prevention and to conduct and coordinate a research program on hormone disruption, among other activities. The bills would have required NIEHS to make grants for the development and operation of not more than six centers to conduct multidisciplinary research on environmental factors that may be related to the development of women’s health conditions. Each center would have been required to conduct basic and clinical research, develop training protocols, conduct training, develop model continuing education programs, and disseminate information to professionals and the public, with priority given to prevention activities. The bills would have required each center to 1) collaborate with community organizations and 2) use the facilities of a single institution or be formed from a consortium of institutions. The legislation, which would have authorized appropriations, would have limited support to 5 years but allowed extensions under specified circumstances.
  
  This legislation would have also required NIEHS to establish a national program of research on hormone disruption within the Institute and, in doing so, conduct research on the occurrence of hormone-disrupting chemicals in the environment and their effects on ecological and wildlife health, in cooperation with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Furthermore, NIEHS would have been authorized to transfer funds to other Federal agencies to carry out these responsibilities. The Secretary of HHS would have been required to establish a commission to be known as the Hormone Disruption Research Interagency Commission to advise the Director of NIEHS and the Director of USGS on the development of a comprehensive agenda for conducting research on hormone disruption and recommend to the Directors a research program, including levels of funding for intramural and extramural research. NIEHS would have also been required to establish a Hormone Disruption Research Panel within the Institute. H.R. 852 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. S. 1588 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Feminine Hygiene Product Research

Dioxin is a toxic byproduct of a chlorine-bleaching process used in the manufacture of paper products, including the raw materials that are used in tampons. The Environmental Protection Agency has released reports identifying dioxin as a “probable cancer-causing agent” and linking dioxin exposure with increased risks for endometriosis. Other potential health risks from dioxin include immune system suppression, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare, potentially life-threatening bacterial illness associated with kidney and liver failure. Research has shown that TSS in menstruating women is related to the use of tampons that are too absorbent. While awareness of TSS was very high in the 1980s, many women now assume that the risk has been eliminated.

• H.R. 373—Robin Danielson Act
  H.R. 373, introduced by Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) on February 3, 2003, would have amended the Public Health Service Act section on Research on Women’s Health to require the establishment of a research program on the risks posed by the presence of dioxin, synthetic fibers, and other additives in feminine hygiene products. It would have also established a program for the collection and analysis of data on TSS. The bill would have required the Director of NIH to provide for the conduct or support of research on the extent to which additives in feminine hygiene products pose risks to the health of women or the children of women who used those products during or before their pregnancies. The bill would have also required the Director of CDC to 1) establish a program to collect, analyze, and make available data on TSS, including data on the causes of TSS, and 2) determine the national incidence and prevalence of TSS. H.R. 373 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.
  
  Robin Danielson was 44 when she died in 1998 after developing TSS without understanding the symptoms. The Robin Danielson Act was first introduced in the 107th Congress.

Gynecological/Ovarian Cancer

The American Cancer Society predicted that 14,300 women would die of ovarian cancer in 2003 and that 25,400 new cases of the disease would be diagnosed. In the United States, ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer among women and the fifth most common fatal cancer. Ovarian cancer kills 5 percent of all women who die from cancer, a death toll greater than any other gynecological cancer. Ovarian cancer occurs in the United States with the same frequency as it did in 1973, but the mortality rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer has decreased by about 12 percent due to increased awareness and groundbreaking medical research. Most cases of ovarian cancer occur in women over the age of 50, and in the majority of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the cancer is detected only after it has spread, which significantly reduces survival rates. Organizations such as the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and its State and local chapters work to improve the lives of women affected by ovarian cancer. The Federal Government devotes millions of dollars annually to research increasingly successful treatment regimens and diagnostic tools to detect ovarian cancer in its early stages. President George W. Bush declared September 2002 as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in order to raise awareness of this disease and encourage women to undergo regular health screenings.

• H. Con. Res. 277—Treatment of and Support for Women With Ovarian Cancer
  H. Con. Res. 277, introduced by Representative Michael C. Burgess (R-TX) on September 10, 2003, was a concurrent resolution expressing the Sense of the House (with the Senate concurring) that Congress should 1) devote resources to researching diagnostic tools and methods and treatments for ovarian cancer and 2) support community groups that raise awareness of ovarian cancer in their work to improve the lives of women affected by ovarian cancer. H. Con. Res. 277 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
• H.R. 3438—Gynecological Cancer Education and Awareness Act
  H.R. 3438, introduced by Representative Sander M. Levin (D-MI) on November 4, 2003, would have 1) directed NIH and CDC to conduct a national campaign to increase women’s awareness and knowledge of gynecologic cancers and 2) required NIH and CDC to award grants for demonstration projects to test different outreach and education strategies to increase the awareness and knowledge of women and health care providers with respect to gynecologic cancers. H.R. 3438 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Heart Disease and Women

• H. Res. 522—Expressing the Sense of the House of Representatives That There Is a Critical Need To Increase Awareness and Education About Heart Disease and the Risk Factors of Heart Disease Among Women
  H. Res. 522, introduced by Representative Vic Snyder (D-AR), on February 10, 2004, expressed the Sense of the House that there is a critical need to increase awareness of and education about heart disease and the risk factors for heart disease among women. It commended First Lady Laura Bush and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on their campaign to raise public awareness that heart disease is the number one killer of American women. It recognized that the more aware women become of heart disease and how to prevent it, the more likely they will be able to make sound lifestyle changes to help reduce their chances of getting heart disease. The measure was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and was passed by the House on March 24, 2004, by a vote of 420 to 0. No further action occurred on this legislation during the 108th Congress.

Pelvic Floor Research

• H.R. 4979—Women’s Pelvic Floor Health Education and Awareness Act
  H.R. 4979, introduced by Representative Nethercutt on July 22, 2004, would have required the Directors of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to 1) expand and intensify their activities with respect to women’s pelvic floor disorders, including developing proposals for research on such disorders, 2) provide for the continuing operation of the Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network, with not fewer than eight such treatment centers in operation and authorize the establishment of additional treatment centers, subject to Appropriations Acts, and (3) continue to operate the Clinical Trials Network for Female Pelvic Disorders, with not fewer than seven such clinical sites in operation and provide for the establishment of additional clinical sites, subject to Appropriations Acts. In addition, the bill expressed the Sense of Congress as to efforts that the Institutes should undertake, including increasing their research, recruiting established scientists, and developing a national data registry and tissue bank of people suffering from incontinence. The bill would have also required that women’s pelvic floor health be included as one of the topics studied in the prospective cohort study known as the National Children’s Study regarding child health and human development that is being conducted under section 1004(b) of the Children’s Health Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-310; 114 Stat. 1130).

Postpartum Depression

PPD is the most common medical complication related to childbearing. It is estimated that 10 to 15 percent of new mothers will experience PPD. Symptoms include frequent crying, sleep disturbances, appetite disturbances, anxiety and panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive thoughts or behavior, and suicidal thoughts that often develop a few weeks after delivery but can occur at any time during the first year after childbirth.

• H.R. 846/S. 450—Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act
  H.R. 846/S. 450—Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Actpublic. H.R. 846 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. S. 450 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
  
  Melanie Blocker-Stokes jumped to her death on June 13, 2001, after developing postpartum psychosis. For further information on this legislation, see the article entitled “Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act.”

Prematurity Research

• S. 1726/H.R. 3350—Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers Who Deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Act
  S. 1726, introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) on October 14, 2003, would have required NIH to 1) “expand, intensify, and coordinate” research regarding preterm labor and delivery, infant mortality, and treatment of preterm and low birth weight infants, 2) contract (in conjunction with CDC) with the Institute of Medicine for a study to address the health and economic consequences of preterm birth, and 3) participate in an Interagency Coordinating Council on Prematurity and Low Birth Weight. H.R. 3350, the companion measure, was introduced by Representative Fred Upton (R-MI) on October 20, 2003. S. 1726 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. H.R. 3350 was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a symptom of a group of diseases that involve the abnormal growth of connective tissue, which supports the skin and internal organs, and it is sometimes used as an umbrella term for these disorders. In some forms of scleroderma, hard, tight skin is the only abnormality. In other forms, however, the problem is more extensive, affecting blood vessels and internal organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Although scleroderma is more common in women, the disease also occurs in men and children and affects people of all races and ethnic groups. However, by the middle to late childbearing years (ages 30–55), women develop scleroderma at a rate 7 to 12 times higher than men. Because of female predominance at this and all ages, scientists suspect that something unique to women, such as the hormone estrogen, plays a role in the disease. So far, the role of estrogen or other female hormones has not been proven.

• H. Con. Res. 30/S. Con. Res. 33—Expressing the Sense of Congress Regarding Scleroderma
  H. Con. Res. 30, introduced by Representative Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) on February 14, 2003, and S. Con. Res. 33, introduced by Senator Larry E. Craig (R-ID) on April 7, 2003, called for 1) recognition of private organizations and health care providers for promoting awareness and research on scleroderma, 2) greater awareness of the symptoms of scleroderma and contributions to the fight against it, 3) NIH to continue to take a leadership role in research efforts regarding the fight against scleroderma and to allow for broad dissemination of the information learned from such research, and 4) CDC to consider additional methods to improve disease surveillance of scleroderma.

Trauma Research

• S. 1811—Expanding Research for Women in Trauma Act of 2003
  S. 1811, introduced by Senators Thomas A. Daschle (D-SD) and John R. Edwards (D-NC) on October 31, 2003, would have required the Secretary of HHS, in consultation with the Directors of NIMH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH), NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, to make grants and enter into contracts to increase research on the psychological effects of violence against women. Provisions of the legislation would have required NIH components and other Federal agencies to 1) expand research on special populations and their risk for violence, including adolescents, older women, ethnic minorities, women with disabilities, and other affected populations, 2) increase research on violence against women as a risk factor for various mental and physical health problems, 3) develop and test effective methods of screening for violence in all points of entry to the health care system, and 4) enhance research on socioeconomic and sociocultural correlates of violence. Other provisions would have required that awards not exceed $500,000 and that the duration of the grant awards not exceed 5 years. S. 1811 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids (leiomyomata uteri) are the most common benign (noncancerous) tumors that are present in the muscular wall of the uterus of women over 30 years of age and are more common in African American women. According to the most current textbooks of medicine, it is estimated that leiomyomas are present in 20–25 percent of reproductive age women but are 3–9 times more frequent in African American women than in White women. However, a recently completed epidemiolgical study of uterine fibroids by NIEHS found that by age 50 the cumulative incidence of uterine fibroids was more than 80 percent for African American women and about 70 percent for White women. These numbers are much higher than those reported from medical records. The differences suggest that while many women have fibroids, not all have clinically symptomatic fibroids and seek medical care. Data suggest that large fibroids cause more symptoms than small fibroids, leading scientists to question what causes fibroids to grow and become clinically symptomatic.

• H.R. 2157/S. 1087—Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2003
  H.R. 2157/S. 1087, introduced by Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) and Senator Mikulski on May 20, 2003, would have directed the Director of NIH to expand and intensify research efforts on uterine fibroids and to authorize the doubling of current expenditures for research on this condition. The bill would have also directed the Secretary of HHS, through ORWH, to develop and disseminate information regarding uterine fibroids to the public, including information on 1) the elevated risk for minority women and 2) the availability of a range of treatment options. The Health Resources and Services Administration would have been directed to develop information on uterine fibroids and disseminate it to health care providers and to authorize a doubling of Federal funding for uterine fibroid research at NIH. More specifically, this legislation would have authorized $10 million in Federal funding for uterine fibroid research each year for 5 years. The bill would have also funded a public education campaign on the condition. H.R. 2157, which is identical to S. 1087, was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. S. 1087 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Representative Tubbs Jones has indicated that she plans to reintroduce this legislation in February 2005.
• H.R. 3459/S. 1833—Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act
  H.R. 3459 and its companion measure, S. 1833, introduced by Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Senator Daschle, respectively, on November 6, 2003, would have addressed various efforts to improve the health of minority individuals. The text of H.R. 2157/S. 1087, the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2003, was also included in this measure. The uterine fibroid language would have directed the Director of NIH to expand and intensify research efforts on uterine fibroids and authorize the doubling of current expenditures for research on this condition. Specific authorizations of $10 million for FYs 2005 through 2010 were included in H.R. 3459 but not in the original Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2003. H.R. 3459, a companion bill to S. 1833, was referred to the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, on Education and the Workforce, on Resources, on the Judiciary, on Ways and Means, and on Agriculture. S. 1833 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. For more information on this legislation, see the article entitled “Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act.”

Status and Outlook

None of the bills, with the exception of the extension of the semipostal authority for the breast cancer stamp (Omnibus Appropriations bill for FY 2004 [P.L. 108-199]) was enacted.