LEGISLATIVE ALERT
August 18, 1997
Call Your Representatives and Senators Immediately
ISSUE: Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) and Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL) introduced an amendment to the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations bill, H.R. 2264, that would require parental notification or consent for minors to receive services in clinics funded by the Title X Family Planning Program. The full House is expected to consider this amendment September 3 or 4 when the House debates the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill. A similar amendment is expected to be considered in the Senate at the same time.
Rep. John Porter (R-IL), Chair of the House Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee, is opposed to the Istook amendment and proposed his own substitute amendment, which requires Title X applicants to certify that they encourage family participation in the decisions of minors to seek family planning services and provide counseling to minors on resisting coercion to engage in sexual activities.
Calls to your Members of Congress are needed immediately. The right wing is actively organizing in support of the Istook amendment.
ACTION NEEDED: Call, fax, e-mail by Tuesday, September 2, your senators and representative. If you have a representative on the House and/or Senate Appropriations Committees (list below) it is particularly important to contact him or her. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your representative or senator’s office. For fax and e-mail addresses, contact the individual member’s office or check on the Internet for direct access: http://www.house.gov/ or http://www.senate.gov/
MESSAGE:
Tell your representative and senators that he or she should oppose the Istook amendment to the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill requiring parental notification and consent for services received by minors in Title X Family Planning clinics.
The amendment, if passed, will mean adolescents will not seek contraceptive devices, and the result will be more cases of HIV/AIDS and sexually-transmitted diseases and abortions. This is not good public policy.
QUESTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Madeleine Golde at 1-800-638-8799, ext. 237, or e-mail at mgolde@naswdc.org
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
| REPUBLICANS | DEMOCRATS |
| Bob Livingston, LA, Chairman | *David Obey, WI,.Ranking |
| Joseph McDade, PA | Sidney Yates, IL |
| *CW Bill Young, FL | *Louis Stokes, OH |
| Ralph Regula, OH | John P. Murtha, PA |
| Jerry Lewis, CA A | Norman D. Dicks, W |
| **John E. Porter, IL | Martin Sabo, MN |
| Harold Rogers, KY | Julian Dixon, CA |
| Joe Skeen, NM | Vic Fazio, CA |
| Frank Wolf, VA | WG (Bill) Hefner, NC |
| Tom DeLay, TX | *Steny Hoyer, MD |
| Jim Kolbe, AZ | Alan Mollohan, W VA |
| Ron Packard, CA | Marcy Kaptur, OH |
| Sonny Callahan, AL | David Skaggs, CO |
| James Walsh, NY | *Nancy Pelosi, CA |
| Charles Taylor, NC | Peter Visclosky, IN |
| David Hobson, OH | Thomas Foglietta, PA |
| *Ernest Istook, OK | Esteban Edward Torres, CA |
| *Henry Bonilla, TX | *Nita Lowey, NY |
| Joe Knollenberg, MI | Jose Serrano, NY |
| *Dan Miller, FL | *Rosa DeLauro, CT |
| *Jay Dickey, AK | James Moran, VA |
| Jack Kingston, GA | John Olver, MA |
| Mike Parker, MS | Ed Pastor, AZ |
| Rodney Frelinghuysen, NJ | Carrie Meek, FL |
| *Roger Wicker, MS | David Price, NC |
| Michael Forbes, NY | Chet Edwards, TX |
| George Nethercutt, WA | |
| Mark Neumann, WI | |
| Randy Cunningham, CA | |
| Todd Tiahrt, KS | |
| Zach Wamp, TN | |
| Tom Latham, IA | |
| *Anne Northup, KY | |
| Robert Aderholt, AL |
* Indicates Labor/HHS/Education Subcommittee Members
** Indicates Labor/HHS/Education Subcommittee Chair
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
| REPUBLICANS | DEMOCRATS |
| Ted Stevens, AK, Chairman | Robert Byrd, W.VA, Ranking |
| *Thad Cochran, MS | * Daniel Inouye, HI |
| **Arlen Specter, PA | *Ernest Hollings, SC |
| Pete Domenici, NM | Patrick Leahy, VT |
| *Christopher (Kit) Bond, MO | *Dale Bumpers, AR |
| *Slade Gorton, WA | Frank Lautenberg, NJ |
| Mitch McConnell, KY | ***Tom Harkin, IA |
| Conrad Burns, MT | Barbara Mikulski, MD |
| Richard Shelby, AL | *Harry Reid, Nev |
| *Judd Gregg, NH | *Herb Kohl, WI |
| Robert Bennett, UT | *Patty Murray, WA |
| Ben Nighthorse Campbell, CO | Byron Dorgan, ND |
| *Larry Craig, ID | Barbara Boxer, CA |
| Lauch Faircloth, NC | |
| Kay Bailey Hutchison, TX |
* Members of the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee
** Chair, Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee
*** Ranking on Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations Subcommittee