[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 563 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 563

  Expressing the sense of the House regarding the importance of bone 
  marrow donation, honoring the National Marrow Donor Program for its 
   work in increasing bone marrow donations, and supporting National 
            Marrow Awareness Month, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2002

 Mr. Young of Florida (for himself, Mr. Towns, Mr. Davis of Illinois, 
 Mr. Foley, Mr. Crane, Mr. Pence, Mr. Bass, Mr. Simpson, Mr. Mascara, 
Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Bentsen, 
 Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. Graham, Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia, Mr. 
Watkins of Oklahoma, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Clay, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Souder, and 
 Mr. Sununu) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House regarding the importance of bone 
  marrow donation, honoring the National Marrow Donor Program for its 
   work in increasing bone marrow donations, and supporting National 
            Marrow Awareness Month, and for other purposes.

Whereas each year an estimated 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with life-
        threatening diseases such as leukemia, for which a marrow or blood stem 
        cell transplant can be a cure;
Whereas when the National Marrow Donor Program was founded in 1986, unrelated 
        donor bone marrow transplantation was an investigational therapy with 
        uncertain benefits;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program is the international leader in marrow 
        and blood stem cell transplantation;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has facilitated approximately 15,000 
        transplants relying on bone marrow donations from volunteer, unrelated 
        individuals during the past 15 years;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has actively recruited a diverse 
        registry of more than 4,000,000 potential volunteer marrow and blood 
        stem cell donors and, at any given time, offers hope to more than 3,000 
        patients searching its registry;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has worked diligently to increase the 
        number of minority patients receiving transplants each year;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program plays an important role in the 
        Nation's defense by actively maintaining a contingency plan to assist 
        the military in treating victims of nuclear, chemical, and biological 
        attacks;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program provides support for patients and 
        physicians and conducts research studies aimed at increasing 
        opportunities for and improving outcomes of stem cell transplants; and
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program and its national and international 
        affiliates are joining together for National Marrow Awareness Month in 
        November to educate Americans about the importance of becoming a marrow 
        donor: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) encourages all Americans to learn about the importance of bone 
        marrow donation and to become a bone marrow donor by joining the 
        National Marrow Donor Program Registry;
            (2) honors the National Marrow Donor Program for its outstanding 
        efforts during the past 15 years to educate Americans about the 
        importance of donating bone marrow, to support research to improve the 
        outcomes of bone marrow and related transplants, and to advocate 
        tirelessly for patients needing bone marrow transplants and their 
        donors;
            (3) praises the National Marrow Donor Program for its dedication to 
        increasing the number and diversity of bone marrow donors, which has 
        tripled the number of transplants performed on minority patients since 
        1995;
            (4) commends the millions of Americans who have already joined the 
        National Marrow Donor Program Registry; and
            (5) supports the goals of National Marrow Awareness Month, 
        especially efforts to increase the number of minority donors and to 
        educate Americans about bone marrow donation and transplants.
                                 <all>