[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 206 (Tuesday, November 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6682-H6684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     PROMOTING RESOURCES TO EXPAND VACCINATION, EDUCATION, AND NEW 
                 TREATMENTS FOR HPV CANCERS ACT OF 2021

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1550) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
a public awareness campaign with respect to human papillomavirus, and 
for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1550

       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 ``Promoting Resources to 
     Expand Vaccination, Education, and New Treatments for HPV 
     Cancers Act of 2021'' or the ``PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 
     2021''.

     SEC. 2. PREVENTING HPV AND HPV-ASSOCIATED CANCERS; 
                   REAUTHORIZING JOHANNA'S LAW.

       Section 317P of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
     247b-17) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)(1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``cervical'';
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (C) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``other'' and all that 
     follows through ``cancer.'' and inserting ``recommended 
     diagnostics for early intervention for, and prevention of, 
     HPV-associated cancers; and''; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) the importance of recommended vaccines for prevention 
     of HPV and HPV-associated cancers, including for males;''; 
     and
       (2) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
       ``(d) Johanna's Law.--
       ``(1) National public awareness campaign.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a national 
     campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of health 
     care providers and individuals with respect to gynecologic 
     cancers, HPV, and HPV-associated cancers, and the importance 
     of HPV vaccines in preventing HPV and HPV-associated cancers.
       ``(B) Written materials.--Activities under the national 
     campaign under subparagraph (A) shall include--
       ``(i) maintaining a supply of written materials that 
     provide information to the public on gynecologic cancers, 
     HPV, and HPV-associated cancers; and
       ``(ii) distributing the materials to members of the public 
     upon request.
       ``(C) Public service announcements.--Activities under the 
     national campaign under subparagraph (A) shall, in accordance 
     with applicable law and regulations, include publishing 
     materials in digital or print form, public engagement, and 
     developing and placing public service announcements intended 
     to encourage individuals to discuss with their physicians--
       ``(i) their risk of gynecologic cancers and HPV-associated 
     cancers; and
       ``(ii) the importance of HPV vaccines in preventing HPV and 
     HPV-associated cancers.
       ``(D) Targeted populations.--Activities under the national 
     campaign under subparagraph (A) shall include culturally and 
     linguistically competent public service announcements and 
     other forms of communication and public engagement under 
     subparagraph (C) targeted to--
       ``(i) specific higher-risk populations of individuals based 
     on race, ethnicity, level of acculturation, and family 
     history, including African-American and Ashkenazi Jewish 
     individuals;
       ``(ii) communities with high rates of unvaccinated 
     individuals, including males;
       ``(iii) rural communities;
       ``(iv) populations affected by increasing rates of 
     oropharynx cancers;
       ``(v) health care providers specializing in assisting 
     survivors of sexual assault; and
       ``(vi) such other communities as the Secretary determines 
     appropriate.
       ``(2) Consultation.--In carrying out the national campaign 
     under this section, the Secretary shall consult with--
       ``(A) health care providers;
       ``(B) nonprofit organizations (including gynecologic cancer 
     organizations and organizations that represent communities 
     and individuals most affected by HPV-associated cancers and 
     low vaccination rates);
       ``(C) State and local public health departments; and
       ``(D) elementary and secondary education organizations and 
     institutions of higher education.
       ``(3) Demonstration projects regarding outreach and 
     education strategies.--
       ``(A) In general.--
       ``(i) Program.--The Secretary may carry out a program to 
     award grants or contracts to public or nonprofit private 
     entities for the purpose of carrying out demonstration 
     projects to test, compare, and evaluate different evidence-
     based outreach and education strategies to increase the 
     awareness and knowledge of women, their families, physicians, 
     nurses, and other key health professionals with respect to 
     gynecologic cancers, including with respect to early warning 
     signs, risk factors, prevention, screening, and treatment 
     options.
       ``(ii) Science-based resources.--In making awards under 
     clause (i), the Secretary shall encourage awardees to use 
     science-based resources such as the Inside Knowledge About 
     Gynecologic Cancer education campaign of the Centers for 
     Disease Control and Prevention.
       ``(B) Preferences in awarding grants or contracts.--In 
     making awards under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 
     give preference to--
       ``(i) applicants with demonstrated expertise in gynecologic 
     cancer education or treatment or in working with groups of 
     women who are at increased risk of gynecologic cancers; and
       ``(ii) applicants that, in the demonstration project funded 
     by the grant or contract, will establish linkages between 
     physicians, nurses, other key health professionals, health 
     profession students, hospitals, payers, and State health 
     departments.
       ``(C) Application.--To seek a grant or contract under 
     subparagraph (A), an entity shall submit an application to 
     the Secretary in such form, in such manner, and containing 
     such agreements, assurances, and information as the Secretary 
     determines to be necessary to carry out this paragraph.
       ``(D) Certain requirements.--In making awards under 
     subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall--
       ``(i) make awards, as practicable, to not fewer than five 
     applicants; and
       ``(ii) ensure that information provided through 
     demonstration projects under this paragraph is consistent 
     with the best available medical information.
       ``(E) Report to congress.--Not later than 24 months after 
     the date of the enactment of the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 
     2021, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to 
     the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, 
     Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that--

[[Page H6683]]

       ``(i) summarizes the activities of demonstration projects 
     under subparagraph (A);
       ``(ii) evaluates the extent to which the projects were 
     effective in increasing awareness and knowledge of risk 
     factors and early warning signs in the populations to which 
     the projects were directed; and
       ``(iii) identifies barriers to early detection and 
     appropriate treatment of such cancers.
       ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this subsection, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated $25,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2022 
     through 2026.''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. 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. 1550.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1550, the PREVENT HPV 
Cancers Act. This bill will help prevent cancer in thousands of 
individuals by stepping up our outreach and education to ensure that we 
are reaching people eligible for human papillomavirus, or HPV vaccines.
  HPV causes nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in men and women each year. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that nearly 
33,000 of these cases can be prevented through vaccination.
  The HPV vaccine has been shown to be highly effective in most forms 
of HPV, and in turn, preventing cancer caused by the virus. For 
example, women who have been vaccinated against HPV have been shown to 
be 90 percent less likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the high efficacy of the vaccines and increased 
vaccination rates, the rates are still below CDC targets and far lower 
for HPV than for other recommended vaccines. And while cervical cancer 
rates have gone down, other types of HPV-associated cancers, including 
head and neck cancers, have been on the rise.
  We must do more to improve our outreach to teens and young adults, 
and this bill does that by creating a national campaign to educate 
health providers and the public on HPV, HPV-associated cancers, and the 
importance of HPV vaccines in preventing these cancers.
  Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation passed unanimously out of 
the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It deserves our support here on 
the floor, so please join me in preventing cancer and supporting this 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the human papillomavirus, or HPV, is a common virus in 
the United States, infecting about 13 million Americans each year. 
While 9 out of 10 HPV infections are benign, in some circumstances, HPV 
can cause cancer. Records from the CDC indicate about 36,000 cases of 
cancer each year are caused by this virus. Sadly, many of these 
infections and cancer diagnoses can be prevented by the HPV vaccine.
  H.R. 1550 would carry out a national campaign to increase awareness 
for healthcare providers and patients regarding these cancers. 
Additionally, the campaign will highlight the benefits associated with 
HPV vaccines in preventing HPV and HPV-related cancers.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the sponsor of the legislation.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone for 
yielding the time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bipartisan legislation 
with Representative Kim Schrier, the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act.
  Mr. Speaker, if Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the NIH, called a 
press conference today and announced that we had found a cure for 
cancer, there would be cause for celebration.
  Well, since 2006, there has been a safe and effective vaccine that 
prevents six types of cancer, including HPV-related cancers, including 
cervical cancer and throat cancer. It has been a remarkable 
development. The problem is that with these HPV-related cancers, there 
are no screening tests for many of these cancers, other than cervical 
cancer, for which there is a screening test. So you have to rely on 
prevention in order to avoid ever contracting these types of cancers.
  The other problem is that during the pandemic, there has been a 
dramatic drop-off in childhood vaccinations. It is very troubling. All 
childhood vaccinations have fallen way off, but particularly with the 
cancer-preventing HPV vaccine.
  According to data from CDC, HPV vaccinations fell by almost 64 
percent for children ages 9 to 12, and they fell 71 percent for young 
people ages 13 to 17 compared to the previous two years. Last year 
alone, more than 1 million doses were missed.
  Mr. Speaker, here is what is also troubling, the trends that are 
here: There is a distinct rise among men and HPV-related cancers. Four 
out of ten HPV-related cancers occur among men: a lot of throat cancer. 
There are now 14,000 men annually being diagnosed with HPV-related 
cancers. That is a five-fold increase over the past 20 years.
  We can tackle this problem by helping educate families and parents 
all across America to avoid these catastrophic diagnoses and save lives 
in doing it.
  The PREVENT HPV Cancers Act builds on work the CDC is already doing 
to raise awareness about gynecological cancers through Johanna's Law 
and includes HPV and HPV-related cancers in the national public 
awareness campaign to educate providers, parents, and the general 
public about the lifesaving HPV vaccine. This is especially important 
in rural areas where there has also been a very dramatic drop-off.
  I thank my friends back home at the Moffitt Cancer Center, Florida's 
only NCI-designated cancer center, Dr. Anna Giuliano, who is an expert 
in the field, for educating me, and for bringing together advocates 
across the country.
  I thank Chairman Pallone, Chair Eshoo, Ranking Member McMorris 
Rodgers, and Chairman Guthrie very much for their help, and Dr. Burgess 
as well for his support. Thank you for making this a bipartisan effort.
  I also thank Stephen Holland with the majority staff and Kristen 
Shatynski with the minority staff.
  Mr. Speaker, to the parents and families, it is vitally important to 
know that you can prevent your children from ever contracting cancer 
through the HPV vaccine. It is safe and effective, and more parents 
need to understand the import of doing this.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption, a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 1550, the 
PREVENT HPV Cancers Act.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, it was 16 years ago that we first authorized 
Johanna's Law, it was a long time ago. I was a fairly junior Member and 
Congresswoman DeLauro had worked on it for a number of years before 
that. It is something that today will easily be reauthorized--and 
America has been and will be better for--and seems easy. But it is 
never easy to begin the process of helping people understand what they 
don't know.
  Misinformation or a failure to have information continues to cause 
young women to die of cancer needlessly: whether it is ovarian cancer, 
gynecological cancer of any sort, whether it is related to HPV, or some 
other fashion. The fact is, Johanna's Law, H.R. 1550, which it is 
merged with, in fact, is something that America needs to understand 
today and in the future.
  When we originally passed Johanna's Law, we had 257 cosponsors and 
could have had more. More than 100 Republicans and Democrats signed on 
before we brought it to the floor. On that day, we said, if we can only 
get $10 million to get the awareness. We passed the bill and then we 
went looking for the money.

[[Page H6684]]

  Over time the money has increased. The fact is, Americans today, 
especially young women, are not as informed as they need to be. 
Reauthorizing both of these bills in one goes a step further to 
educating people about preventable death, preventable cancer.
  The fact is, I am thrilled that Congress, in such a tumultuous time, 
from time to time, comes together across the aisle and does something 
so important.
  These bills do not cost much, but the lives they save are precious 
and priceless. Mr. Speaker, I urge its support.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would urge support for this bipartisan 
and very important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 1550, 
the ``PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021.''
  I would like to thank my colleagues Congresswoman Kathy Castor and 
Congresswoman Kim Schrier for introducing this important legislation.
  The ``Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education and New 
Treatments for HPV Cancers Act'' or the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act has the 
ultimate goal of preventing HPV-related cancers.
  Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that causes six 
types of cancers, leading to nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in the 
United States every year, according to the CDC.
  Nearly 42 million people are currently infected with HPV in the 
United States.
  The HPV vaccine provides safe, effective, and lasting protection 
against the HPV infections that most commonly cause cancer.
  This vaccine is so effective that the World Health Organization 
established a goal of total eradication of cervical cancer--and this 
legislation can be part of our nation's commitment to reaching that 
goal.
  This vaccine can help prevent these cancers, and it is the goal of 
the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act to increase vaccination rates.
  HPV-related cancers disproportionately affect individuals who are 
living on a lower income, have lower education levels, and are from a 
racial or ethnic minority group.
  Increased public awareness and immunization initiatives would help 
improve vaccination rates in these underserved communities.
  More comprehensive research on the HPV vaccine, as authorized in the 
PREVENT HPV Cancers Act, would also help better identify these 
disparities and ways to address them.
  There is rampant societal mistrust and vaccine hesitancy, and while 
immunizations are one of the greatest public health tools we have, they 
work best when there is widespread use.
  This legislation will spread awareness so that more people will be 
vaccinated against HPV, and fund research to help stop the largely 
preventable deaths caused by HPV linked cancers.
  When we have the tools to prevent cancer, we should without a doubt 
utilize them.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 1550, the PREVENT HPV 
Cancers Act of 2021.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  November 30, 2021 on page H6684, in the first column, the 
following appeared: When we have the tools to prevent cancer, we 
should without a doubt utilize them. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, 
I rise in full support of H.R. 1550, the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act 
of 2021.
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: When we have the 
tools to prevent cancer, we should without a doubt utilize them. 
Mr. Speaker, I rise in full support of H.R. 1550, the PREVENT HPV 
Cancers Act of 2021.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  I would like to thank my colleagues Congresswoman Kathy Castor and 
Congresswoman Kim Schrier for introducing this important legislation.
  The Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education, and New 
Treatments for HPV Cancers Act, or the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act, has the 
ultimate goal of preventing HPV-related cancers.
  Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that causes six 
types of cancers, leading to nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in the 
United States every year, according to the CDC.
  Nearly 42 million people are currently infected with HPV in the 
United States.
  The HPV vaccine provides safe, effective, and lasting protection 
against the HPV infections that most commonly cause cancer.
  This vaccine is so effective that the World Health Organization 
established a goal of total eradication of cervical cancer--and this 
legislation can be part of our nation's commitment to reaching that 
goal.
  This vaccine can help prevent these cancers, and it is the goal of 
the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act to increase vaccination rates.
  HPV-related cancers disproportionately affect individuals who are 
living on a lower income, have lower education levels, and are from a 
racial or ethnic minority group.
  Increased public awareness and immunization initiatives would help 
improve vaccination rates in these underserved communities.
  More comprehensive research on the HPV vaccine, as authorized in the 
PREVENT HPV Cancers Act, would also help better identify these 
disparities and ways to address them.
  There is rampant societal mistrust and vaccine hesitancy, and while 
immunizations are one of the greatest public health tools we have, they 
work best when there is widespread use.
  This legislation will spread awareness so that more people will be 
vaccinated against HPV, and fund research to help stop the largely 
preventable deaths caused by HPV linked cancers.
  When we have the tools to prevent cancer, we should without a doubt 
utilize them.
  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. 1550, 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.

                          ____________________