[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1994 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1994

To amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical facilities of 
  the Department of Veterans Affairs to share certain data with State 
               cancer registries, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 14, 2023

 Mr. Kelly (for himself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require medical facilities of 
  the Department of Veterans Affairs to share certain data with State 
               cancer registries, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Counting Veterans' Cancer Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to 2017 data from National Program of Cancer 
        Registries of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
        approximately 26,500 cancer cases among veterans were not 
        reported to State cancer registries funded through such 
        Program.
            (2) Established by Congress in 1992 through the Cancer 
        Registries Amendment Act (Public Law 102-515), the National 
        Program of Cancer Registries under section 399B of the Public 
        Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 280e) collects data on cancer 
        occurrence (including the type, extent, and location of the 
        cancer), the type of initial treatment, and outcomes.
            (3) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention support 
        central cancer registries in 46 States, the District of 
        Columbia, Puerto Rico, certain territories of the United States 
        in the Pacific Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands.
            (4) The data obtained by registries described in paragraph 
        (3) combined with data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and 
        End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute and 
        mortality data from National Center for Health Statistics of 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comprise the 
        official United States Cancer Statistics.
            (5) The United States Cancer Statistics reflect all newly 
        diagnosed cancer cases and cancer deaths for the entire 
        population of the United States, except for unreported 
        veterans.
            (6) Federal law requires the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute to collect 
        cancer data for all newly diagnosed cancer cases, but that 
        currently cannot be achieved due to frequent lack of reporting 
        by medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (7) Releasing all data from medical facilities of the 
        Department to State cancer registries will provide more 
        complete data for health care providers, public health 
        officials, and researchers to--
                    (A) measure cancer occurrence and trends at the 
                local and national level;
                    (B) inform and prioritize cancer educational and 
                screening programs;
                    (C) evaluate efficacy of prevention efforts and 
                treatment;
                    (D) determine survival rates;
                    (E) conduct research on the etiology, diagnosis, 
                and treatment of cancer;
                    (F) ensure quality and equity in cancer care; and
                    (G) plan for health services.
            (8) Capturing cancer data from medical facilities of the 
        Department in State cancer registries and the United States 
        Cancer Statistics can benefit veterans by--
                    (A) improving the ability to identify cancer-
                related disparities in the veteran community;
                    (B) improving understanding of the cancer-related 
                needs of veterans, which can be incorporated into State 
                Comprehensive Cancer Control planning for screening and 
                treatment programs funded by the Centers for Disease 
                Control and Prevention; and
                    (C) increasing opportunities for veterans with 
                cancer to be included in more clinical trials and 
                cancer-related research and analysis being done outside 
                of the health care system of the Department.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to improve care for 
veterans by ensuring all data on veterans diagnosed with cancer are 
captured by the national cancer registry programs supported by the 
National Program of Cancer Registries of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End 
Results Program of the National Cancer Institute.

SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SHARE DATA WITH 
              STATE CANCER REGISTRIES.

    (a) Sharing of Data With State Cancer Registries.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following new section:
``Sec. 7330E. Sharing of data with State cancer registries
    ``(a) Sharing by the Department.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall share with the State 
        cancer registry of each State, if such a registry exists, 
        qualifying data for all individuals who are residents of the 
        State and have received health care under the laws administered 
        by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Requirements relating to data shared.--In sharing 
        data under paragraph (1) with a State cancer registry, the 
        Secretary shall comply with the requirements for non-Department 
        facilities to report data, in a manner that is as complete and 
        timely as possible, without requiring a data use agreement in 
        place between the Department and each State cancer registry--
                    ``(A) to State cancer registries that are supported 
                by the National Program of Cancer Registries of the 
                Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under 
                section 399B of the Public Health Service Act (42 
                U.S.C. 280e);
                    ``(B) to State cancer registries that are supported 
                by the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results 
                Program of the National Cancer Institute authorized 
                under the National Cancer Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-
                218); and
                    ``(C) to State cancer registries as set forth in 
                relevant State laws and regulations that authorize a 
                cancer registry.
    ``(b) Qualifying Data Defined.--In this section, the term 
`qualifying data', with respect to a State cancer registry, means all 
data required to be provided to the registry pursuant to the 
authorities specified in subparagraphs (A) through (C) of subsection 
(a)(2).''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of subchapter II of such chapter is amended by 
        inserting after the item relating to section 7330D the 
        following new item:

``7330E. Sharing of data with State cancer registries.''.
    (b) Sharing by State Cancer Registries.--The Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall assist State cancer 
registries described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 
7330E(a)(2) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection 
(a)(1), in facilitating, to the extent allowed under State laws 
regulating the cancer registry program, the sharing with the Secretary 
of Veterans Affairs of data in the possession of each such registry 
regarding diagnosis of cancer for each veteran--
            (1) enrolled in the system of annual patient enrollment 
        established and operated under section 1705(a) of such title; 
        or
            (2) registered to receive care from the Department of 
        Veterans Affairs under section 17.37 of title 38, Code of 
        Federal Regulations, or successor regulations.
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