Congresswoman Johnson Calls For End To Gender Bias In Publicly Funded Research

With the release of a study that found gender bias in federal agencies that fund Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) research, Congresswomen Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) are demanding immediate action to ensure gender equality in publicly funded research. 

The year-long study, which the congresswomen requested in 2013 from the independent Government Accountability Office (GAO), led to the calls to immediately address the shortcomings found by the study, including improving data collection and performing compliance reviews that are legally required under Title IX—the federal law that bans discrimination in publicly funded research and education.

The GAO study found deficiencies at the federal agencies which collectively award 90% of the nearly $25 billion in federal STEM grants awarded annually. The deficient agencies are the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA.

Two of the three agencies responsible for $17.1 billion of federal STEM funding fail to conduct legally required Title IX compliance reviews to ensure the universities they fund are addressing gender bias within their research programs. The Congresswomen also requested that the Attorney General revive an inter-agency task force focused on Title IX gender discrimination issues to better coordinate efforts among the federal agencies involved in STEM grant-making. The congresswomen will be requesting briefings with DOE and NASA to discuss plans to improve their data collection systems to allow for a more complete study of possible gender discrimination at the agencies to be completed.

All three are critical of current American science output, claiming that existing research efforts are falling short because some are being left behind due to bias at the universities the administration funds.

“Right now, two agencies overseeing more than $17 billion in federal grants have not implemented legally required compliance reviews with the universities that use public money for research, while three other agencies fail to collect even the most basic demographic information needed to determine if bias exists in their grant-making processes. These are taxpayer dollars going to important research that will improve the lives of Americans – it’s vital that we know the best science is being funded by the best researchers, free of gender bias," said Rep. Louise Slaughter. 

“As Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, I will be closely following progress in implementing the GAO recommendations at those agencies under my committee's jurisdiction, and continuing to work with my colleagues to ensure that the remaining agencies also move forward on the recommendations," said Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.

“Collectively, the six agencies in the GAO report are responsible for more than 90% of the $25 billion in federal STEM grants awarded annually. These agencies must do more to guarantee that the recipients of federal grants are the nation’s brightest and most promising scientists, regardless of gender," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro.

Source: Science 2.0

Congresswoman Johnson Hosts Panel On Syrian Refugee Crisis

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson hosted “A World of Women for World Peace” for the fifteenth time in her congressional career. This year’s event included an expert panel on the Syrian Refugee Crisis and took place in the Rayburn Gold Room of the Rayburn House Office Building.

During the conference, Congresswoman Johnson said, “Today’s conference, focusing on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, will allow us to build upon the past success of the “A World of Women for World Peace” initiative and help shape the dialogue as we welcome Syrian refugees into our communities. Though today’s discussion centers on the international community’s response, we must also think of what we can do domestically and locally. I am fully committed to welcoming Syrians into the Dallas community in any way I can. I sincerely hope that my colleagues will join me in tempering the hateful rhetoric and providing the necessary services for those displaced by war and conflict. Thank you to our expert panelists for providing such vital information to us today.”

The expert panel consisted of: Manal Omar, the Acting Vice President for the Middle East and Africa at the United States Institute of Peace; Mona Yacoubian, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Middle East at the United States Agency for International Development; Chiara Cardoletti-Carroll, Deputy Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Tim Eydelnant, Syrian Coordinator of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the U.S. Department of State; and Ghada Mukdad, Founder of the Zain Foundation, Board Member of the Syrian Civil Coalition, and current Dallasite.

The expert speakers widely agreed that the Syrian Refugee Crisis is colossal in scope—the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II and the most expensive aid and resettlement process in the modern era. This panel addressed the nature of this crisis, including the plight of child refugees who lack access to education; the suffering of women who are forced into unwanted marriages or into practicing survival sex; the need for development in and respect for countries that host refugees; the need for a more uniformed response across Europe, as well as the complicated and escalating violence in Syria that causes these refugees to leave.  Across the board, the panelists agreed that the international community, as a whole, needs to act swiftly and decisively to help these victims.

Congresswoman Johnson began the “A World of Woman for World Peace” initiative in 2001 to recognize and empower women to facilitate peace-building, peacemaking, and peace-keeping activities across the world. Today's conference helps us to re-emphasize the necessity of peace and diplomacy across the globe.

Congresswoman Johnson's Op-Ed On Mental Health System In Crisis

"You cannot watch the news for very long without seeing some new tragedy where the perpetrator is reported to have a mental illness. More than 13 million Americans have schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or major depression, and the majority of them are going without treatment. You only need to look at the most recent mass shootings or the overpopulated prison systems to see that our current mental health system is broken, and the time for action is now.

When these tragedies strike, politicians, media and victims cry out about the state of mental healthcare in our country, and how we must do something to solve it. But what do we do? How do we do it? As politicians fail to come to an agreement, people suffer further every day. One thing we can agree on — our current mental health system is in a crisis that demands swift and effective action.

As a member of Congress, I have heard this call to action, and I am doing something about it. I am a non-practicing registered nurse who once served as the Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Dallas. My background and work on this issue motivated me to join forces with Congressman Tim Murphy, R-Pa., to offer our voices and push for reform through the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act.

Congressman Murphy spent a year investigating our country's mental health system on the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He is also a psychologist in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps. Together we bring firsthand, expert knowledge from the field of mental healthcare to this bill. We know the people this bill will help, and we know how important this bill is to patients, families and the community as a whole.

While working as the chief psychiatric nurse for the Veterans Affairs hospital in Dallas, I saw the inadvertent harm caused by federal mental health policies. For example, the Institutions for Mental Diseases exclusion, which prevents Medicaid from paying for care received in a mental health facility if the hospital has more than sixteen psychiatric beds. This outdated policy is a major cause of increased homelessness and incarceration. People who need treatment are turned away because of this rule, day after day. This bill would allow more available beds in care facilities.

Along with repealing the IMD Exclusion, there are several other policies that would help patients access the treatment they deserve. Small and targeted changes to the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, expanding Assisted Outpatient Treatment and restructuring the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were the other large federal policies we decided to tackle.

We have heard countless stories of caregivers or family members who were denied access to life-saving information regarding an adult child's medical condition that ended tragically. Clarifying HIPAA so that those situations do not arise, based on strict criteria and the discretion of the physician, is vital for health and safety purposes. While we must respect patients' rights, we cannot leave families helpless because of an outdated and frequently misinterpreted law.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment, which has been established in 45 states and the District of Columbia, is a proven and successful jail diversion program that directs treatment in the community for patients with serious mental illness who are difficult to treat. AOT has been shown to reduce homelessness, incarceration and emergency room visits by about 70 percent for participants. Our legislation offers support to the states that have implemented AOT programs and encourages the remaining states to adopt AOT laws. This bill is an important first step to get people out of jail, off the streets and into the care they deserve.

While SAMHSA implements many successful programs across the behavioral wellness spectrum, individuals with severe mental illness continue to subsist without basic care. A recent Government Accountability Office report showed that SAMHSA's approach to interagency coordination is lacking.

Our bill refocuses and revamps SAMHSA to be the preeminent federal agency that mental illness deserves, led by a newly created assistant secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder under the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. A crisis this serious requires a professional position committed to it.

Our mental health system is in crisis. There are recurring cries from across the nation calling for the government to do something about it. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act responds to those cries, but more importantly, it offers real, sustained help to those who have been neglected by the current system." - Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson

Source: Washington Examiner

Congresswoman Johnson Votes In Favor Of Highway Reauthorization Act

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson voted for the bi-partisan adoption of the conference report on Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act)– a measure that reauthorizes highway, bridge, transportation safety, and public transit projects for the next five years. The measure provides guaranteed funding for five years, including an increase of more than $1.6 billion over current funding levels for the state of Texas.  The FAST Act also reauthorizes the critically important Export-Import Bank for four years, which helps American workers and businesses compete in the global economy.

“As both a conferee on the bill and the senior Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I can say with strong confidence that this legislation is a good-faith effort to make the important investments in our transportation infrastructure our nation desperately needs,” said Congresswoman Johnson.
 
“While there are some shortcomings in the bill, and some of us would like to have higher levels of investments be included, this bill will help to further new and existing projects for the long-term. This bill creates needed jobs both in my state of Texas and throughout the country.  I am also pleased to see that this bill supports research and development, including expanding university transportation center outreach to women and under-represented populations.  Going forward, I hope that we can do more to elevate our nation as a leader in multi-modal transportation innovation.”

The conference report included several key provisions:
·        It provides long-term funding by designating $281 billion from the Highway Trust Fund over five years for highway, transit, and highway safety programs;
·        It boosts funding for railway-highway grade crossings, motor carrier safety grants, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grants;
·        It ensures higher standards for transit safety; protects bus driver safety, and encourages states to provide mental health
and substance abuse treatment to those charged with Driving Under the Influence;
·        It creates American jobs by increasing manufacturing jobs through strengthening Buy America requirements and raising the domestic content threshold of transit buses and rail cars from 60-percent to 70-percent; and
·        It connects communities by injecting $3.7 billion over five years into the bus program.

Congresswoman Johnson Introduces Legislation To Re-Instate Year Round Pell Program

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, recently co-sponsored legislation Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, introduced to reinstate the federal "Year Round Pell" program to provide supplemental Pell grants for summer semester, according to the Library of Congress government information website.

The legislation -- HR 3180 -- had 26 co-sponsors, as of Friday -- 16 Republicans and 10 Democrats.

Source: Post Star