[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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