[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6753 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6753

  To provide for the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp on the 
                 subject of inflammatory bowel disease.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2008

 Mr. Pallone introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide for the issuance of a commemorative postage stamp on the 
                 subject of inflammatory bowel disease.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic and 
        painful inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract 
        which are difficult to diagnose due their invisible symptoms 
        and similarity to other intestinal disorders;
            (2) Crohn's disease may occur in any section of the 
        gastrointestinal tract but is predominantly found in the lower 
        part of the small intestine and the large intestine;
            (3) ulcerative colitis is characterized by inflammation and 
        ulceration of the innermost lining of the colon, and complete 
        removal of the colon in patients with ulcerative colitis can 
        alleviate symptoms;
            (4) because Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis behave 
        similarly, they are collectively known as inflammatory bowel 
        disease;
            (5) both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis present a 
        variety of symptoms, including severe diarrhea, dehydration, 
        lack of appetite, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, 
        abdominal pain with cramps, fever, and rectal bleeding;
            (6) while there is no known cause or medical cure for 
        inflammatory bowel disease, current evidence suggests that 
        genetics, bacteria, and environmental factors may play a role;
            (7) it is estimated that up to 1,400,000 people in the 
        United States are afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease;
            (8) it is believed that there are an additional 600,000 
        Americans who have inflammatory bowel disease, but whose 
        condition is either misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, thereby 
        resulting in their failure to receive proper treatment;
            (9) approximately 110 persons (\1/3\ of whom are 
        adolescents) are diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease in 
        this country each day;
            (10) inflammatory bowel disease affects approximately 
        100,000 children under the age of 18 and has been detected in 
        infants just months old, with the disease's ``second wave'' 
        developing in adults over the age of 50;
            (11) inflammatory bowel disease accounts for an estimated 
        200,000 hospitalizations in the United States each year;
            (12) the annual cost in missed workdays for Americans with 
        inflammatory bowel disease is estimated to be in the billions 
        of dollars or about $5,500 per patient with active disease;
            (13) approximately 200,000 patients with inflammatory bowel 
        disease receive some form of permanent work disability 
        compensation from the Social Security Administration;
            (14) these patients have reported low quality of life and 
        persistent, systemic, active disease requiring frequent 
        surgical intervention or hospitalization, thus impacting their 
        ability to work and function normally;
            (15) children with inflammatory bowel disease miss school 
        and related activities because the disease often becomes too 
        painful and a constant feature of their lives;
            (16) an estimated \2/3\ to \3/4\ of children with Crohn's 
        disease will undergo multiple surgical operations in their 
        lifetime to remove permanently scarred intestinal tissue, thus 
        putting them at risk for developing short bowel syndrome and 
        other life-threatening complications;
            (17) 60 to 90 percent of children with recurrent Crohn's 
        disease will experience growth failures, and many adults who 
        have onset of bowel disease as children experience delayed 
        puberty and impaired growth, and never reach their full genetic 
        growth potential;
            (18) inflammatory bowel disease also puts patients at high 
        risk for developing colorectal cancer;
            (19) the Federal Government, public and private 
        organizations, healthcare providers, and the medical community 
        are striving to work together more closely in order to improve 
        the quality of life of children and adults affected by Crohn's 
        disease;
            (20) the United States Postal Service has issued stamps 
        featuring critical causes in need of medical or social 
        awareness in line with the criteria set out by the Citizens' 
        Stamp Advisory Committee; and
            (21) the breast cancer semipostal research stamp has now 
        become the best-selling postage stamp in United States history, 
        raising over $60,000,000 for breast cancer research.

SEC. 2. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE COMMEMORATIVE POSTAGE STAMP.

    (a) In General.--The Postmaster General shall issue a commemorative 
postage stamp on the subject of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, 
2 chronic digestive diseases collectively known as inflammatory bowel 
disease.
    (b) Requirements.--Such stamp--
            (1) shall be issued in the denomination used for first-
        class mail up to 1 ounce in weight and bear such design as the 
        Postmaster General shall determine; and
            (2) shall be placed on sale as soon as practicable after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act and sold for such period 
        of time as the Postmaster General shall determine.
                                 <all>