A WOMEN'S NEEDS AGENDA FOR THE 97th. CONGRESS February 4, 1981
A LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY

REPRODUCTIVE AND HEALTH RIGHTS
ANTI-ABORTION LEGISLATION AND AMENDMENTS:

1. Amending the U.S. Code to apply "person" from time of conception (Helms, R-SC; Hyde, R-IL)

	The 14th Amendment would stipulate that the term "person" apply from the moment of conception; also prohibit federal courts from ruling in any court cases pertaining to state or local laws which restrict abortion rights.

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-SC) 
House: Judiciary (Rodino, D-NJ)

2. Extending states rights authority over abortion decisions (Bauman-type amendments)

	This type of amendment, whenever it is introduced on appropriations bills, would allow states to be more restrictive in funding of medically necessary abortions than the federal government even in life endangerment cases.

Senate: Appropriations (Hatfield, R-OR) 
House: Appropriations (Whitten, D-Miss)

3. Limiting Court Jurisdiction Over Abortion Cases (Crane, R-IL; Ashbrook, R-OH)

	It would allow restrictive anti-abortion laws to be approved by legislative bodies without letting courts rule against such laws.

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-SC) 
House: Judiciary (Rodino, D-NJ)

4. Limiting Federal Funding for Abortions (Hyde-type amendments)

	Amendments will continuously be attached to appropriations bills to limit: Medicaid funding, money for abortions in military health programs, federal employees health insurance, etc., in the budgets of HHS, Defense, Treasury, Legal Services, D.C., etc.

Senate: Appropriations (Hatfield, R-OR)
 House: Appropriations, (Whitten, D-Miss)

FAMILY PLANNING:

	Authorization and funding for Title X which provides public funds for family planning services through project grants

Senate: Budget (Domenici, R-NM) Appropriations (Hatfield, R-OR) 
House: Budget (Jones, D-OK) Approp. (Whitten, D-Miss)


HOME HEALTH CARE Legislation is tentative at the moment

HUMAN LIFE AMENDMENTS (HLAs) (Helms, R-NC; Garn, R-UT; Zorinsky, D-NE) (Hyde, R-IL; Dornan, R-CA, Oberstar, D-MN)

	Amendments to the U.S. Constitution to make abortions illegal. Some say no abortions under ALL circumstances; Some would permit abortions only in cases of life endangerment. All forms of this amendment would require enforcement procedures that would intrude in the privacy of individuals and most threaten the usage of any form of birth control. Even spontaneous abortions would be suspect.

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-SC) 
House: Judiciary (Rodino, 0-NJ)

MEDICARE COVERAGE EXTENDED TO:

1. Dental Services (Collins, D-IL)

	To provide payment for dental services under part B of Medicare


2. Emergency Response System Amendment (Heckler, R-MA)

	To provide payment under Medicare for use of a community-based emergency hotline. Older women are the greatest users of this service and are disproportionately affected by lack of coverage in this area.

3. PAP Tests (Collins, D-IL)
	To provide payment for routine PAP tests for the diagnosis of uterine cancer

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL) Energy & Natural Resources (McClure, R-ID) Energy & Commerce (Dingell, D-MICH)

SUBSTANCE ABUSE (Waxman, D-CA)

	Drug abuse programs and Alcoholism programs, Reauthorization of existing programs.

Senate: Labor & Human Resources (Hatch, R-UT) 
House: Energy & Commence (Dingell, D-MICH)

ECONOMIC AND EQUAL RIGHTS
EDUCATION:

ANTI-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION & TITLE IX AMENDMENTS: (Walker - Ashbrook type amendments)

1. Riders introduced to the appropriations legislation of the Department of Education. Limits the department's ability to issue, implement and/or enforce rules, regulations, standards, guidelines or orders which include a "ratio, quota or other numerical requirement related to race, creed, color, national origin or sex." Also prohibits further enforcement of Title IX until Supreme Court rules on whether Title IX applies to employment. Other amendments would exclude federal student loans from being considered federal funds when looking at a school's compliance record.

2. Equal Protection Constitutional Amendment (Hatch, R-UT)

	This amendment would prohibit federal and state governments from "making or enforcing any laws which make distinctions on the account of race, color, or national origin." This would prohibit voluntary as well as mandatory programs.

Senate: Appropriations (Hatfield, R-OR) 
House: Appropriations (Whitten, D-MISS)

REAUTHORIZATION AND/OR FUNDING FAR:

1. Health Professions Education (Collins, D-IL)

	Aid to medical, nursing and other health professional schools and to students in the form of scholarships and loans

2. Vocational Education Act (Perkins, D-KY)

	Vocation programs have a definite impact upon women's educational and future employment opportunities

3. Women's Educational Equity Act (WEEA) (Needs funding only)

	Discretionary grants program that provides funds for development of non-biased educational materials for al levels of education. Any funding over 15M will provide for direct services to the schools and institutions.

Senate: Budget (Domenici, R-NM) Approp. (Hatfield, R-OR) 
House: Budget (Jones, D-OK) Approp. Whitten, D-MISS)

WOMEN'S HISTORY WEEK (Hatch, R-UT, Mikulski, 0-MD)

	A resolution that designates the week of March 8, 1981, as Women's History Week. 218 House co-sponsors needed. This week would recognize at a national level the contributions of women in our nation's history. This resolution goes directly to the floors of both Houses when the needed number of sponsors is reached.

EMPLOYMENT:

1. Armed Services (Durenberger, R-MN; Byron, D-MD)

Would eliminate differentiations between male and female commissioned officers in terms of appointments, promotions, separation and retirement.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

2. CETA Reauthorization and funding

	This federal employment program needs to target Displaced Homemakers. Essential employment opportunity for women

Senate: Labor & Human Resources (Hatch, R-UT) 
House: Education & Labor (Perkins, D-KY)

3. Displaced Homemakers Tax Credit (Packwood, R-OR; Ferraro, D-NY)

	Employers will receive credit for employing displaced homemakers as defined by CETA

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

4. Fair Employment Practices Act (Resolution in the Senate) (Hatfield, R-OR; Schroeder, D-CO et at)

	Eliminates job discrimination in Congress by creating a procedure for hearing employment cases.

Senate: Rules (Mathias, R-MD) 
House: Rules (Bolling, D-MO)

5. Fair Labor Standards Act Amendments (Ferraro, D-NY}

	Narrows the circumstances under which an employer may have wage differentials based on sex of employees

Senate: Labor & Human Resources (Hatch, R-UT) 
House: Education & Labor (Perkins, D-KY)

6. Marriage Penalty Tax Reform (Mathias, R-MD; Fenwick, R-NJ}

	Allows two-earner married couples the option of filing as two separate individuals.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)


7. Short-Time Compensation Act (Schroeder, D-CO)

	Provides technical and monetary assistance to states that amend their state unemployment compensation laws to provide unemployment benefits for partial unemployment, This encourages job sharing.

Senate: Labor & Human Resources (Hatch, R-UT) 
House: Ways & Means: Rostenkowski (D-IL)

8. Working Mother's Day (Collins, D-IL)

	Designates the Sunday before Labor Day as Working Mother's Day

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-NC) or Floor 
House: Post Office & Civil Service (Ford, D-MICH)

EQUITY

Heads of Households (Packwood, R-OR)

	Would permit heads of households to use the $3,400 zero bracket amount available to married persons in figuring federal income taxes.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski (D-IL)

Non-Discrimination in Insurance (Hatfield, R-OR; Dingell, D-MICH)

	By prohibiting discrimination in insurance on the basis of sex, this bill addresses the economic inequities which stereotype and unfairly penalize women policy holders, especially in the area of disability insurance.

Senate: Finance (Dole) 
House: WS&M (Rostenkowski)

Review of U.S. Code to eliminate sex-discrimination (Durenberger, R-MN; Heckler, R-MASS)

	The head of each federal administrative agency shall conduct a review of the regulations to ensure they are sex neutral.

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-SC) ,  
House: Judiciary (Rodino, D-NJ)

Volunteer Mileage Deduction Act (Mikulski, D-MD)

	Raises the IRS deduction rate for use of a car by volunteers to the same rate currently allowable for business.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)



HUMAN AND FAMILY NEEDS:

Child Health Assurance Program (CHAP) (Waxman, D-CA, et al)

	Increases the number of children eligible for health services through Medicaid

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Energy & Commerce (Dingell, D-MICH)

Child and Dependent Care Tax Credits (Packwood, R-OR; Conable, R-NY)

	Increase tax credits for caring for children and dependents, especially at home

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Child Support/Alimony Enforcement Study (Packwood, R-OR; Mikulski, D-MD)

	Mandates the Attorney General to conduct a study on enforcement of alimony and childcare payments and gives special attention to problems arising with enforcement across state lines.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Domestic Violence Prevention and Services Act (Mikulski, D-MD; Boggs, D-LA)
	Establishes a grant program to provide for federal support of local activities to prevent domestic violence and assist victims; includes study of elderly abuse.

Senate: Labor & Human Resources (Hatch, R-UT) 
House: Education & Labor (Perkins, D-KY)

Penalties Against Elderly Abuse (Collins, D-IL)

	Amends Title 18 of the U.S. Code to provide penalties for the assaults against the elderly that result in medical expenses paid by the U.S.

Senate: Judiciary (Thurmond, R-SC) 
House: Judiciary (Rodino, D-NJ)

Family Protection Act (Symms, R-ID3 Hansen, R-10)

	Censors textbooks and school courses; prohibits the Legal Service Corp from being used in school desegregation cases; denies funds to states not allowing school prayers; drastically reduced federally-funded programs

Senate: Labor & Human Resources, Finance, Judiciary 
House: Agriculture, Armed Services, Education & Labor
Judiciary, Ways & Means

Food and Nutrition Programs

1. Reauthorization and funding for Food Stamps

Senate: Agriculture (Helms, R-NC) 
House: Agriculture (de La Garza, D-TX)

2. Funding for WIC (Womens, Infants & Child Supplemental Feeding Proqrams

Senate: Agriculture (Helms, R-NC) 
House: Education & Labor (Perkins, D-KY)

Title XX
	Funding for block grants to state programs providing social services for individuals & families, including domestic violence, daycare and children's programs.

Senate: Appropriations (Hatfield, R-OR) 
House: Appropriations (Whitten, D-MISS)

Welfare

1. SSI and Social Security amendments to increase funding to poverty level (Pepper, D-FL)
2. Cutbacks and revisions in services that adversely affect women (see fact sheet)

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Widowed Person's Additional Tax Exemption (Collins, D-IL)
	Amends the IRC to provide an additional personal exemption for elderly individuals whose spouses have died

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

RETIREMENT:

Agricultural Estate Tax Reform: Survivorship Rights for Widows (Durenberger, R-MN)

	For an untitled widowed spouse, the provision will alter the pay schedule for inheritance taxes, easing the financial burden on widows.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Individual Retirement Accounts for Homemakers (IRAs) (Packwood, R-OR; Ferraro, D-NY)
	Allows married individuals with low or no income to use spouse's higher earnings to calculate IRA qualifications. Permits alimony to be included in computation.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Private Pension Reform:

1. Retirement Savings, Reform & Incentive Equity Act (Pepper, D-FL)

	Would lower vesting requirements under ERISA (Employment Retirement Income Security Act) from 10 to 5 years. Significantly reduces the effects of pension integration and expands IRAs, particularly for low-income workers.

Senate: Finance (Dole); Labor & Human Resources (Hatch) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski); Ed & Labor (Perkins)

2. ERISA amendments (Packwood, R-OR; Ferraro, D-NY)

	Lowers vesting AGE from 25 to 21; mandatory survivor's benefits for spouse of participant who dies before pensioner’s earliest retirement age; automatic joint and survivor's options; eliminates 2-year waiting period; pro-rated retirement & survivor's benefits to divorced spouses; eliminates break-in-service rules for parents if they return to same company.

Senate: Finance (Dole); Labor & Human Resources (Hatch) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-TL)

Public Pension Reform:

1. Civil Service Retirement (Hatfield, R-OR; Schroeder, D-CO)

	Entitles former spouses to a pro-rata share of employee's retirement benefits and survivor's benefits during the time of marriage, subject to court review.

2. Military Service Retirement Same as Civil Service Bil]

Senate: Armed Services (Tower, R-TX) House: Post Office & Civil Service. (Ford, D-MICH)

3. Railroad Retirement Equity Package (Oberstar, D-MN)

	To bring Railroad Retirement Act into agreement with other annuity programs particularly with reference to remarried widows and divorced spouses.

Senate: Commerce (Packwood, R-OR) 
House: Energy & Commerce (Dingell, D-MICH)

Social Security

1. Disability Benefits for Widows (Oberstar, D-MN)

	Provides full benefits for disabled widows regardless of age.

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

2. Social Security Reform (Oakar, D-OH)

a. Mandatory Earnings Sharing

	Combines earnings of couple and divides them equally to compute benefits

b. Inheritance of Earnings Credits

	Permits surviving spouse to combine individual wage credits with those of deceased spouse

c. Credits-Splitting at Divorce

	Permits credits-splitting between divorced persons whose marriage lasts for less than 10 years

d. Transition Benefit
	Permits widows at least 50-years-old at the time of wage earner's death to receive immediate benefits for 3 months

e. Disabled Widows & Widowers
	Ensures that disabled widows/ers are eligible for benefits at any age with no reduction

Senate: Finance (Dole, R-KS) 
House: Ways & Means (Rostenkowski, D-IL)

Prepared by Alina Ever & Pat Reuss Women's Equity Action League 805 15th. St, NW, #822 WDC, 20005