IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 150 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 11, 2009 Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan (for herself, Mr. McGovern, and Mr. Sestak) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of African-American Bone Marrow Awareness Month.

Whereas a marrow or blood cell transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases; Whereas a marrow or blood cell transplant replaces a patient’s unhealthy blood cells with healthy blood-forming cells from a volunteer donor; Whereas patients who do not have a suitably matching donor in their family may search the National Marrow Donor Program Registry for a donor; Whereas blood or cell samples from adult donors or cord blood units are tested, and the tissue or cell type is added to the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry and physicians may search this registry when they need to find a donor whose tissue type matches their patient’s; Whereas African-Americans make up 8 percent or more than 450,000 of the 6,000,000 people currently on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry; Whereas only 1,000 African-Americans have received transplants of the 24,000 people that have received transplants since the inception of the National Marrow Donor Program Registry; Whereas more than 70 life-threatening diseases can be treated with a bone marrow transplant; Whereas though it is possible for an African-American patient to match a donor from any racial or ethnic group, the most likely match is another African-American; Whereas to become a volunteer donor, potential donors must be between 18 and 60 years of age, meet health guidelines, provide a small blood sample or swab of cheek cells to determine the donor’s tissue type, complete a brief health questionnaire, and sign a consent form to have the tissue type of the donor listed on the Registry; Whereas the Bone Marrow Wish Organization, which is a minority-run nonprofit organization based in Detroit that was started by an actual bone marrow donor, is initiating African-American Bone Marrow Awareness Month; Whereas this annual month of awareness would promote donor awareness and increase the number of African-Americans registered with the National Marrow Donor Program throughout the Nation; and Whereas July 2009 would be an appropriate month to observe National African-American Bone Marrow Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)supports the goals and ideals of a National African-American Bone Marrow Awareness Month; (2)urges the people of the United States to participate in appropriate programs and activities with respect to bone marrow awareness, including speaking with health care professionals about bone marrow donation; and (3)urges all people of the United States to register to become a blood marrow donor and encourages all people of the United States to organize a blood marrow registration drive in their community.