WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R) Advocacy Alliance today applauded the enactment of the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (HR 1157), bipartisan legislation that will steer federal research investigating the links between breast cancer and the environment. President Bush signed the bill, authored by Congresswomen Nita Lowey (D-NY), Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Lois Capps (D-CA), into law today.
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"We commend Congress for its bipartisan effort to examine the impact of environmental factors on breast cancer, while promoting collaboration among government agencies and between public entities and the private sector," said Shelley Fuld Nasso, director of public policy for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance. "As Komen for the Cure has highlighted the importance of collaboration with our own research funding, we are pleased to see that Congress is following suit."
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among women. One in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In fact, more than 180,000 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and more than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year alone.
The Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act will establish a national strategy to explore the association between breast cancer and environmental factors, which many scientists believe play a significant role in the development of the disease. It will create an Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) made up of advocates and members of the scientific and medical communities. The Committee will make recommendations regarding the expansion of research partnerships and public participation in decisions related to breast cancer research. The bill also authorizes up to $40 million per year for research-related activities.
The Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act passed the House on September 25 and the Senate on September 27, and enjoyed the bipartisan cosponsorship of 287 Members of Congress and 70 Senators. In addition to Congresswomen Lowey, Myrick and Capps, the Komen Advocacy Alliance thanks Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Congressmen Joe Barton (R-TX), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) in the House of Representatives, as well as Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Chairman Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
"We thank the leaders in both the House and Senate for working across the aisle to forge this bipartisan agreement," Fuld Nasso said. "Focusing federal research on the links between breast cancer and the environment will undoubtedly get us closer to our goal of ending breast cancer forever."
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure(R), Komen has invested $1 billion to fulfill its promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. To continue this progress, Komen for the Cure has pledged to invest another $2 billion in the next ten years.
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance is a sister organization to Susan G. Komen for the Cure(R), and is a voice for change on Capitol Hill, in state legislatures and on the campaign trail. With the help of nearly 200,000 Komen Champions and Komen's network of 122 domestic affiliates, we are aggressively seeking increased funding for research and greater access to screening and treatment. The Komen Advocacy Alliance engages policymakers and leaders at all levels of government to advocate for an increased investment in breast cancer research and greater access to breast health services.
CONTACT: Sean Tuffnell of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, +1-972-701-2111,
stuffnell@komen.org
Web site: http://www.komen.org/
