[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 346 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 346

Recognizing that the occurrence of prostate cancer in African-American 
  men has reached epidemic proportions and urging Federal agencies to 
    address that health crisis by designating additional funds for 
     research, education, awareness outreach, and early detection.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2009

Mr. Meeks of New York (for himself, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Berman, Mr. Bishop 
 of Georgia, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
 Butterfield, Mr. Capuano, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Clay, Mr. 
Clyburn, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Edwards of Maryland, 
Mr. Ellison, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. Holt, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, 
 Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Mr. Nadler of New 
   York, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Scott of 
 Georgia, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Towns, Mr. Watt, and Mr. Wu) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing that the occurrence of prostate cancer in African-American 
  men has reached epidemic proportions and urging Federal agencies to 
    address that health crisis by designating additional funds for 
     research, education, awareness outreach, and early detection.

Whereas the incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men is 60 percent 
        higher than in any other racial or ethnic group in the United States;
Whereas African-American men have the highest mortality rate of any ethnic and 
        racial group in the United States, dying at a rate that is 140 percent 
        higher than other ethnic and racial groups;
Whereas that rate of mortality represents the largest disparity of mortality 
        rates in any of the major cancers;
Whereas prostate cancer can be cured with early detection and the proper 
        treatment, regardless of the ethnic or racial group of the cancer 
        patient;
Whereas African-Americans are more likely to be diagnosed earlier in age and at 
        a later stage of cancer progression than all other ethnic and racial 
        groups, thereby leading to lower cure rates and lower chances of 
        survival; and
Whereas, according to a recent paper published in the Proceedings of the 
        National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the Dana Farber Cancer 
        Institute and Harvard Medical School have discovered a variant of a 
        small segment of the human genome that accounts for the higher risk of 
        prostate cancer in African-American men: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes that prostate cancer has created a health 
        crisis for African-American men; and
            (2) urges Federal agencies to designate additional funds 
        for--
                    (A) research to address and attempt to end such 
                health crisis; and
                    (B) efforts relating to education, awareness, and 
                early detection at the grassroots levels to end such 
                health crisis.
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