[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4999-H5000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   EARLY ACT REAUTHORIZATION OF 2020

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4078) to reauthorize the Young Women's Breast Health 
Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4078

       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 ``EARLY Act Reauthorization of 
     2020''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE YOUNG WOMEN'S BREAST HEALTH 
                   EDUCATION AND AWARENESS REQUIRES LEARNING YOUNG 
                   ACT OF 2009.

       Section 399NN(h) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
     U.S.C. 280m(h)) is amended by striking ``$4,900,000 for each 
     of fiscal years 2015 through 2019'' and inserting 
     ``$9,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4078.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, tragically, one in eight women in the United States 
will be diagnosed with breast cancer over their lifetime. Breast cancer 
is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause 
of cancer death in women. From 2013 to 2017, breast cancer death rates 
in older women declined. However, breast cancer death rates have 
remained steady in younger women.
  We know that breast health education, awareness, and screening saves 
lives.
  The bill we are considering today, H.R. 4078, the EARLY Act 
Reauthorization, reauthorizes initiatives at the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention to increase knowledge of breast cancer and risks 
of breast cancer among young women. This bill nearly doubles the 
investment Congress is making in this program, because we believe it is 
crucial that we stop losing young moms, daughters, sisters, and 
friends, to breast cancer.
  This program is critically important, and I want to thank 
Representatives Wasserman Schultz and Brooks for their bipartisan 
leadership on this program.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4078, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, Young Women's Breast 
Health Education and Awareness Act, the EARLY Act Reauthorization, 
which was introduced by Representatives Wasserman Schultz and Brooks. 
This bill reauthorizes the EARLY Act of 2009, which established a 
national public health education campaign to promote awareness and 
early detection of breast cancer among young women.
  Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women under 
the age of 40, and each year almost 24,000 new cases are diagnosed. It 
is critical that both young women and healthcare professionals are 
equipped with the knowledge and healthcare services needed for early 
detection and treatment of breast cancer.
  Madam Speaker, by reauthorizing the EARLY Act, H.R. 4078 would 
enhance early detection of breast cancer, increase public awareness of 
risk factors and risk reduction strategies, and support the provision 
of psychosocial and medical services for young women diagnosed with 
breast cancer.
  Madam Speaker, I thank Mrs. Brooks for all of her work on the Energy 
and Commerce Committee. From day one on our committee, we all knew she 
was going to be prepared and ready to go to work. Congresswoman Brooks

[[Page H5000]]

has the experience. She was a U.S. Attorney and has been an invaluable 
member of our committee, and she will be retiring and leaving Congress 
at the end of this term. Her grace, her skill, her knowledge, her 
friendship, her incredible work ethic will all be missed as this 
Congress and the next one continues to navigate complex issues that 
come across our desks.
  So, Madam Speaker, to Congresswoman Brooks, I thank her for her 
service. The committee will miss her, but she has left an indelible 
mark in an important chapter in American history.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the sponsor of 
the legislation.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  I rise today to support my bill, the Breast Cancer Education and 
Awareness Requires Learning Young Act Reauthorization, or the EARLY 
Act.
  I do want to start by thanking Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member 
Walden, as well as my Republican co-lead, Congresswoman Susan Brooks. I 
deeply appreciate their advocacy and assistance shepherding this bill 
through the Energy and Commerce Committee. I also thank Senators 
Klobuchar and Crapo for sponsoring the Senate version of this important 
bipartisan reauthorization bill.
  The EARLY Act, which I first introduced in 2009, became law in 2010 
as part of the Affordable Care Act.
  The inspiration for this bill was born from my own battle against 
breast cancer at the age of 41. That was 13 years ago. It is hard to 
believe.
  I was a young woman at high risk, but I didn't know it. I was aware 
enough to know the right questions to ask and to understand the steps 
that were necessary in my treatment.
  But many young women, Madam Speaker, are not aware that they possess 
genetic or other factors that expose them to higher risk of getting 
breast cancer. And when it strikes them, they and even their doctors 
are often unprepared to deal with this terrible diagnosis.
  But knowledge is power, and it can also be lifesaving, too.
  The earlier that breast cancer cases are identified, the better the 
chances are of survival. That is exactly why, after surviving 15 months 
of surgeries and treatment, I introduced the EARLY Act--in order to 
fill this major gap in our healthcare system.
  We could not then and cannot now afford to be silent about these 
specific risks and how they impact certain communities, not when so 
many lives are on the line.
  Breast cancer is a disease that knows no boundaries. It strikes women 
from all backgrounds, races and ethnicities, the rich and the poor, the 
old and the young. About one in eight women, as the ranking member and 
the chairman have said, will get breast cancer in their lifetime.
  About 11 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the United 
States are found in women younger than 45 years of age.

  Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women under 40 
and breast cancer in younger women tends to be more aggressive.
  Each year, approximately 70,000 women age 15 to 39 are diagnosed with 
cancer in the United States. Breast cancer is the most common cancer 
for women in this age group.
  Nearly 80 percent of young women diagnosed with breast cancer find 
their breast abnormality themselves.
  Additionally, certain ethnic groups, including Ashkenazi Jews--my 
ethnic origin--and African-American young women have an increased risk 
of breast cancer. Black women are exposed to a greater risk because 
systemic racism has limited their access to preventive care.
  I am proud that the bill before us today not only reauthorizes the 
program, but also increases the authorized funding level for breast 
cancer education and awareness programs.
  The bill allows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to 
continue administering its crucial education and outreach campaign that 
highlights breast cancer risks facing young women, including campaigns 
specifically for African-American and Jewish women.
  The EARLY Act is designed to help educate healthcare providers on the 
specific threats and warning signs of breast cancer in younger women. 
This education can often lead to early detection, diagnosis, and 
survival.
  The bill also aids organizations that support young women diagnosed 
with breast cancer and, further, helps them overcome the unique 
challenges that we face, including dealing with the social and 
psychological stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis for far longer 
in our lifetimes.
  The EARLY Act has already benefited women. Mortality rates from 
breast cancer have dropped in the past 10 years, in large part due to 
early detection.
  After 10 years of successful implementation, it is now time to again 
reauthorize the EARLY Act and increase funding to ensure we can reach 
more young women and healthcare providers across the country.
  At a time when people with preexisting conditions across the country 
are at greater risk, prevention and awareness can be the difference 
between life and death.
  Not knowing can kill you.
  Not being aware of the importance of paying attention to your breast 
health can be life ending and life altering.
  As a public servant and a cancer survivor, it has become my life's 
mission to help women, especially younger women and women at higher 
risk, like I was without knowing it, to better advocate on behalf of 
themselves and their breast health.
  Madam Speaker, I thank and encourage my colleagues to support this 
urgent and lifesaving legislation.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker, I would just conclude by thanking the 
gentlewoman from Florida for sharing her story. I know it has been a 
rugged journey that she has endured on, but this legislation will save 
lives. It is so important that we do this work today.
  I had a dear friend who was diagnosed at an early age, and they had 
it pretty much under control. Then, after the birth of their second 
child, it came back with a vengeance and claimed her young life.
  This is a vicious, vicious attack on the body. I know we have all 
joined together to invest in research, and someday, we hope we will 
overcome this and save all lives.
  But in the meantime, reauthorizing this important body of work that 
the gentlewoman has led on is critical. So, I would encourage our 
colleagues to join us in passing this legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4078, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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