[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 186 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7166-H7167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
WOMEN AND LUNG CANCER RESEARCH AND PREVENTIVE SERVICES ACT OF 2024
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4534) to require a review of women and lung cancer, and for
other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4534
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 ``Women and Lung Cancer
Research and Preventive Services Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY REVIEW TO EVALUATE AND IDENTIFY
OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE ACCELERATION OF RESEARCH
ON LUNG CANCER IN WOMEN AND UNDERSERVED
POPULATIONS, GREATER ACCESS TO PREVENTIVE
SERVICES, AND STRATEGIC PUBLIC AWARENESS AND
EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human
Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, shall conduct an interagency
review to evaluate the status of, and identify opportunities
related to--
(1) research on lung cancer in women;
(2) research on lung cancer in underserved populations that
meet the eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening as
recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task
Force;
(3) access to lung cancer preventive services; and
(4) strategic public awareness and education campaigns on
lung cancer.
(b) Content.--The review and recommendations under
subsection (a) shall include--
(1) a review and comprehensive report on the outcomes of
previous research, the status of existing research
activities, and knowledge gaps related to lung cancer in
women and underserved populations in all agencies of the
Federal Government;
(2) opportunities for collaborative, interagency,
multidisciplinary, and innovative research, that would--
(A) encourage innovative approaches to eliminate knowledge
gaps in research on lung cancer in women;
(B) evaluate environmental and genomic factors that may be
related to the etiology of lung cancer in women; and
(C) foster advances in imaging technology and techniques to
improve risk assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and the
simultaneous utilization of other preventive services and
activities;
(3) opportunities regarding the development of a national
lung cancer screening strategy to expand access to such
screenings, particularly among women and underserved
populations; and
(4) opportunities regarding the development of a national
public education and awareness campaign on--
(A) lung cancer in women and underserved populations; and
(B) the importance of early detection of lung cancer.
(c) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall submit to Congress a report on the review
conducted under subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Indiana (Mr. Bucshon) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.
General Leave
Mr. BUCSHON. 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 in the Record on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Indiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4534, the Women and Lung
Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of
[[Page H7167]]
2024, led by Representative Brendan Boyle.
Mr. Speaker, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for
both men and women in the United States. Just this year, an estimated
230,000 Americans developed new cases of lung cancer, and about 125,000
died from the disease.
Currently, 20 percent of women diagnosed with lung cancer are
nonsmokers, and women who have never smoked are more than two times
more likely to get lung cancer than men who have never smoked.
{time} 1600
To improve our ability to screen, diagnose, and treat lung cancer, we
need a better understanding of the related risk factors.
This bill would review current lung cancer research in women and
underserved populations, as well as identify current relevant
opportunities related to education and access to prevention, detection,
and treatment services.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4534, the Women and Lung
Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act. This legislation led by
Representative Boyle of Pennsylvania would require an interagency
review to evaluate research on women and lung cancer.
In the United States, we are seeing a concerning trend among young
and middle-aged women who are being diagnosed with lung cancer. Women
are disproportionately being diagnosed with lung cancer at a higher
rate than men, even though many of them have never smoked.
Approximately, two-thirds of never smokers who have been diagnosed
with lung cancer are women. A clear understanding of the existing
research and innovative opportunities to reduce lung cancer mortality,
particularly among women and underserved populations, is needed.
The Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act will
directly address these alarming statistics by supporting an interagency
review on women and lung cancer.
This important bill will allow scientists and policymakers to
identify opportunities to accelerate research in this area and develop
a public awareness campaign on lung cancer screening to better reach
underserved populations.
Led by the Department of Health and Human Services, with partnership
from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the review would
include a report on the status of existing research and knowledge gaps
and identify opportunities for collaborative research to determine the
causes of lung cancer.
By passing H.R. 4534, we will move our country toward progress in
reducing lung cancer mortality among women. I thank Representative
Boyle for his commitment and determined advocacy to ensure this
legislation's success.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Boyle).
Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from
Florida (Ms. Castor) for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, the Women and
Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of 2024.
This bipartisan legislation would require the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and
Veterans Affairs, to conduct an interagency review of research on women
and lung cancer, as well as access to preventive services. It also
calls for interagency collaboration on public awareness campaigns to
increase education and promote early detection.
While smoking rates continue to decline and overall lung cancer rates
fall, there is one deeply concerning exception: young women who have
never smoked. Studies show that women nonsmokers are now twice as
likely as nonsmoking men to develop lung cancer.
The statistics are indeed staggering. According to the American
Cancer Society, 162 women in the United States die of lung cancer every
single day. That is about one woman every 8 to 9 minutes. In 2024
alone, an estimated 59,280 women will lose their lives to this disease.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths among women, and
we must do far more to address it.
This bill is about solutions. By increasing access to preventive
services and public awareness, we can lower the prevalence of lung
cancer among women.
Mr. Speaker, despite progress in preventing and treating lung cancer,
disparities persist. Women continue to see slower declines in lung
cancer rates as compared to men. It is past time for the Federal
Government to step up, confront this disparity head-on, and take real
action to address it.
Today is also a bittersweet day for me because much of the
inspiration for this bill comes from my late colleague and friend,
Congressman Rick Nolan. Rick was committed to this fight in honor of
his late daughter, Katherine Benson, who courageously battled stage 4
non-small cell lung cancer until her untimely death in 2020 at just 46
years old. Katherine is survived by her husband and four children, and
her legacy continues through this effort.
I am also proud to have worked on this proposal with the late Senator
Dianne Feinstein, who was a steadfast advocate for addressing
disparities in lung cancer outcomes. Senator Feinstein and I first
introduced this legislation together in 2016, and her dedication to
improving the lives of women impacted by lung cancer will never be
forgotten.
Mr. Speaker, I also thank my friend and fellow Pennsylvanian,
Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, for co-leading this effort from across
the aisle.
Finally, I am grateful to the members of the Energy and Commerce
Committee for helping advance this bill on both sides of the aisle,
especially my good friend, Brett Guthrie.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, this is a commonsense, bipartisan proposal
to save lives and close a glaring disparity in healthcare. I urge my
colleagues to support H.R. 4534 and stand with the countless women and
families impacted by lung cancer.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Boyle
again for his leadership and advocacy. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R.
4534, the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act of
2024, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on
this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Valadao). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4534, 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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