WASHINGTON, D.C. -- March 27, 2007 -- The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1132). The legislation, sponsored by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Sue Myrick (R-NC), would reauthorize this successful program and give some states greater flexibility to reach more women who are eligible and in need. The bill would also increase funding for the program from the current $202 million to $275 million over the next five years, enabling hundreds of thousands of additional women to access it.
Administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the NBCCEDP provides breast and cervical cancer screenings to low-income, uninsured and underinsured women. Enactment of the legislation is a key priority for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action NetworkSM (ACS CAN), which will be working to ensure passage of the Senate companion bill (S. 624), sponsored by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).
Following is a statement from ACS CAN President Daniel E. Smith on today’s vote: “This bill will give thousands of women access to screenings that can detect breast and cervical cancer at the earliest, most treatable stages. Today’s House vote brings us one step closer to ensuring that more women receive these critical screenings and more lives are saved. We thank our legislative champions, Reps. Baldwin and Myrick for their leadership on this important health issue.
“The American Cancer Society recently reported a drop in cancer deaths for the second year in a row. We know that early detection is essential to winning the war against breast and cervical cancer; yet access to these lifesaving tests is out of reach for many women at risk. The legislation the House passed today will help reduce this barrier and save lives. We urge the Senate to follow suit so we can ensure these critical services get to more women who would not otherwise have access to them.”
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan sister advocacy organization of the American Cancer Society. ACS CAN is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major public health problem through issue campaigns and voter education aimed at lawmakers and candidates to support laws and policies that will help people fight cancer. ACS CAN does not endorse candidates and is not a political action committee (PAC). For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Trista Hargrove
Phone: (202) 585-3221
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