Congressional Action: Passing Bill Prohibiting Child Sex Dolls, Peer Counseling for Women Vets, Bill Including Funding For Office on Violence Against Women

Child Protection— On June 13, the House passed, by voice vote, H.R. 4655, the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots (CREEPER) Act. The bill would prohibit the importation or interstate transportation of child sex dolls.

Veterans— On June 13, the House passed, by voice vote, H.R. 4635, a bill to direct the secretary of Veterans Affairs to increase peer-to-peer counseling for women veterans. The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved the bill on May 8 (see The Source, 5/11/18).

Mark-Ups:

Appropriations— On June 13, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved, by voice vote, the FY2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), right, introduced a bill allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular activities

According to the committee summary, the bill would provide a total of $54 billion for discretionary and Overseas Contingency Operations funding, which is the same as the FY2018 enacted level. Among other provisions, the legislation would prohibit all global health assistance to foreign nongovernmental organizations that promote or perform abortions and funding for the United Nations Population Fund, also known as UNFPA, and would cap funding for family planning and reproductive health programs at $461 million cap, an amount equal to the FY2008 enacted level.

On June 13, the House Appropriations Committee passed, 28-20, the FY2019 Financial Services and General Government spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government passed the measure on May 24 (see The Source, 5/25/18; please click here for the committee report).

Also on June 13, the House Appropriations Committee passed, 48-4, the FY2019 Defense spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). On June 7, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense passed the bill (see The Source, 6/8/18; please click here for the committee report).

On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed, 31-0, S. 3071, the FY2019 Legislative Branch spending bill. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch passed the bill on June 12. The House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill (H.R. 5894) on May 8 (see The Source, 5/11/18; please click here for the committee report).

On June 14, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed, 30-0, S. 3072, the FY2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies spending bill. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies passed the bill by voice vote on June 12. On May 17, the House Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill (H.R. 5952) (see The Source, 5/18/18; please click here for the committee report).

According to the Senate committee summary, the measure would provide $62.995 billion in overall funding, $3.4 billion over the FY2018 enacted level. The bill would allocate $2.87 billion for state and local law enforcement and crime prevention grant programs, including the Office on Violence Against Women, and $214.5 million for initiatives to address sexual assault kits and other DNA evidence backlogs.

On June 15, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, the FY2019 Labor, HHS, Education, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

According to the committee summary, the bill would provide $177.1 billion in discretionary funding, which is the same as the FY2018 enacted level. The legislation would include $655 million for the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, $3 million above the FY2018 enacted level, and also eliminate all funding for the Title X Family Planning Program and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants. In addition, the bill would provide a $50 million increase in funding to early childhood programs and a $1.25 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health.

Family Support— On June 13, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee approved the Agriculture Improvement Act, also known as the 2018 Farm Bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

The bill would reauthorize through FY2023 several domestic and international nutritional assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Commodity Distribution Programs, the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, and the Food for Peace Act.

Among other provisions important to women and their families, the legislation would allow the certification of additional training and work opportunity programs, known as workforce partnerships, for SNAP eligibility and would require that assistance under the McGovern-Dole program be provided in a timely manner and be made available when needed throughout the applicable school year.

Mark-Ups:

Appropriations— On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government will mark up the FY2019 Financial Services and General Government spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

Also on Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs will mark up the FY2019 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY2019 State and Foreign Operations spending bill, and the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).

On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will mark up the FY2019 Financial Services and General Government and State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bills.

Health— On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will mark up several bills, including S. 3029, the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early (PREEMIE) Reauthorization Act, S. 1112, the Maternal Health Accountability Act, and S. 3039, the Using Data to Help Protect Children and Families Act.

Hearings:

Employment— On June 13, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing, “Confronting Sexual Harassment and Other Workplace Misconduct in the Federal Judiciary.” https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/confronting-sexual-harassment-and-other-workplace-misconduct-in-the-federal-judiciary

Bills Introduced

Child Protection

H.R. 6115—Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI)/Education and the Workforce (6/14/18)—A bill to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to include an act of unregulated custody transfer in the definition of child abuse and neglect, and for other purposes.

Employment

S. 3077—Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/14/18)—A bill to provide for certain contracting requirements to promote fair and safe workplaces, and for other purposes.

H.R. 6098—Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)/Education and the Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform; House Administration (6/13/18)—A bill to permit leave to care for a domestic partner, parent-in-law, adult child, sibling, grandchild, or grandparent who has a serious health condition, and to allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their children’s and grandchildren’s educational and extracurricular activities.

Health

S. 3053—Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)/Finance (6/12/18)—A bill to ensure access to mental health and substance use disorder services for children and pregnant women under the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and for other purposes.

H.R. 6085—Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)/Energy and Commerce (6/13/18)—A bill to revise and extend the Prematurity Research Expansion and Education for Mothers who deliver Infants Early Act (PREEMIE Act).

H.R. 6114—Rep. Pete King (R-NY)/Ways and Means (6/14/18)—A bill to eliminate the waiting periods for disability insurance benefits and Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer, and for other purposes.

Human Trafficking

H.R. 6069—Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA)/Financial Services; Energy and Commerce (6/12/18)—A bill to require the comptroller general of the United States to carry out a study on how virtual currencies and online marketplaces are used to buy, sell, or facilitate the financing of goods or services associated with sex trafficking or drug trafficking, and for other purposes.

Editor's Note: Content provided by Women's Congressional Policy Institute

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