This afternoon, Congresswoman Annie Kuster and Congressman Frank Guinta sent a letter to the leaders of the Committee on Energy and Commerce  to urge consideration of H.R. 1197, the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act. Congresswoman Kuster has made it her mission to bring people together in Washington to end the gridlock, and this bill in particular boasts over 270 cosponsors, both Democratic and Republican. With such strong bipartisan support, Kuster’s letter makes the case that there is no reason this bill should languish in Committee; it should immediately be brought to the floor for a vote.

“When Speaker Ryan took office, he pledged that the House would resume ‘regular order’ and take up legislation with strong bipartisan support. With over 270 cosponsors – more than half of the House – the Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act is just that. This bill should be voted out of Committee immediately, so it can be considered by the full House and passed into law,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “What’s more, this bill takes important steps to put an end to breast cancer through increased research and investment in technologies that prevent and treat breast cancer effectively. With breast cancer being the second-leading cause of death among women in the U.S., this issue is far too important to allow further delay. I urge Committee leadership to hold a vote and bring this bill to the House floor NOW.”

A copy of the letter can be found below:

July 13, 2016

The Honorable Fred Upton

Chairman, Committee on Energy & Commerce

2125 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable Frank Pallone

Committee on Energy & Commerce

2125 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Pallone,

The purpose of this letter is to support the important breast cancer legislation currently pending before your Committee.  H.R. 1197, Accelerating the End of Breast Cancer Act, is a bipartisan bill with over 270 co-sponsors, which include more than 60% of the Members of the Energy & Commerce Committee. 

As you know, breast cancer is the second-leading cause of death among women in the U.S. This issue is personal to us and thousands of other Granite Staters, who have friends or family suffering from breast cancer, or who suffer from it themselves.

H.R. 1197 focuses on identifying strategies for the primary prevention of breast cancer, and preventing metastasis, which is responsible for over 90% of breast cancer deaths. The legislation creates a 10-person commission, which includes representatives of biomedical research, business, breast cancer advocacy, and other disciplines, who have demonstrated an ability to be innovative.

The commission would be tasked with identifying existing opportunities, tools, technologies and ideas that are not currently being prioritized by the public and private sectors, but which hold true promise in ending breast cancer. The bill leverages existing research and technologies to help end breast cancer.  The commission would not duplicate the efforts of other government agencies and programs, but instead would help ensure our nation's limited research dollars are leveraged to accelerate current progress.

H.R. 1197 is a bipartisan approach to accelerating the progress already made towards ending breast cancer. We urge you to give full and fair consideration to this worthy piece of legislation. While we have made great strides in research and treatment, it is clear that more work is required. As the Chairman, we request that you bring H.R. 1197 to the Energy and Commerce Committee for its full consideration.

Sincerely,

The Honorable Frank Guinta

The Honorable Ann McLane Kuster

###