I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 3569
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for an increase in
the amount of Federal funds expended to conduct research on alcohol
abuse and alcoholism among women.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 19, 1993
Mrs. MORELLA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
an increase in the amount of Federal funds expended
to conduct research on alcohol abuse and alcoholism
among women.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women and Alcohol
Research Equity Act of 1993’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows with respect to the
United States:
(1) One of every 3 alcoholics receiving treat-
ment is a woman.
(2) In fiscal year 1992, the National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism had a total re-
search 
budget 
of 
$169,000,000, 
and 
only
$14,200,000 of the budget (approximately 8 per-
cent) was available for research on alcohol abuse and
alcoholism among women. Research on this topic is
critical because alcoholism has long been known to
be a gender-specific disease.
(3) Women continue to be underrepresented in
treatment programs. Women make up less than 25
percent of all publicly funded alcohol treatment ad-
missions and about 30 percent of treatment admis-
sions for other drug dependencies although women
make up an estimated 50 percent of the total alcohol
and drug dependent population.
(4) Alcohol use by pregnant women is the lead-
ing known cause of mental retardation in newborns.
Fetal alcohol syndrome, which is marked by dysfunc-
tion of the central nervous system and by prenatal
and postnatal growth deficiency and facial mal-
formations, strikes 1 to 3 out of every 1,000
newborns, or 3,600 to 10,000 babies a year. The in-
cidence of less severe fetal alcohol effects is at least
3 times that of fetal alcohol syndrome. Research is
also needed on the male contribution to birth abnor-
malities related to alcohol and other drug use.
(5) Most treatment programs do not provide
child care or adequate alternatives for women enter-
ing treatment.
(6) The death rate of female alcoholics is 50 to
100 percent higher than for male alcoholics.
(7) More alcoholic women die of cirrhosis of the
liver than do alcoholic men.
(8) Combined effects of estrogen and alcohol
augment liver damage.
(9) Women experience greater physiological
damage from consumption of alcohol than do their
male counterparts. The interval between the onset of
drinking and entry into treatment appears to be
shorter for women than men.
(10) Negative effects of drinking show up ear-
lier in women than men, even when they consume
less alcohol than men. This disease process is ‘‘tele-
scoped’’ or accelerated in women.
(11) Women become intoxicated faster than
men. This is due to a different enzyme activity than
men and hormonal fluctuations in women.
(12) Chronic, heavy drinking contributes to
menstrual disorders, fertility problems, and pre-
mature menopause.
(13) Alcohol use may be associated with an in-
creased risk of breast cancer. Research indicates
that the incidence of breast cancer increases when a
woman consumes 1 ounce or more of absolute alco-
hol daily.
(14) The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism has identified areas for future re-
search on alcohol abuse and alcoholism among
women. These areas were identified by the Institute
more than a decade ago, yet a sufficient number of
research projects regarding such areas has yet to be
conducted.
SEC. 3. PROVISIONS REGARDING INCREASE IN AMOUNT OF
FUNDS EXPENDED FOR RESEARCH ON ALCO-
HOL 
ABUSE 
AND 
ALCOHOLISM 
AMONG
WOMEN.
Section 464H(d)(1) of the Public Health Service Act
(42 U.S.C. 285n(d)(1)), as added by section 122 of Public
Law 102-321 (106 Stat. 358), is amended by adding at
the end the following new sentence: ‘‘For fiscal year 1994,
of the first $176,442,000 appropriated under the preced-
ing sentence, the Director of the Institute shall obligate
not less than $14,200,000 for the purpose of carrying out
under this subpart projects of research on alcohol abuse
and alcoholism among women, and of the amounts appro-
priated under such sentence in excess of $176,442,000,
the Director shall obligate for such purpose not less than
$23,250,000.’’.
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