Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act -- (Senate - November 15, 2007)

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to thank all of my colleagues for their support in extending the highly successful breast cancer research stamp for 4 additional years.

This bill has the strong bipartisan support of Senator Hutchison and 61 other Senators from both sides of the aisle. Without congressional action, this extraordinary stamp is set to expire on December 31 of this year, and it deserves to be extended.

This legislation would: Permit the sale of the breast cancer research stamp for 4 more years--until December 31, 2011; allow the stamp to continue to have a surcharge above the value of a first-class stamp with the surplus revenues going to breast cancer research programs at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, and not affect any other semipostal proposals under consideration by the U.S. Postal Service.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office, GAO, released just last month, confirms that the breast cancer research stamp continues to be an effective fundraiser in the effort to increase funds to fight the disease.

Since the stamp first went on sale 9 years ago, over 790 million breast cancer research stamps have been sold by the U.S. Postal Service--raising $57.8 million for breast cancer research.

These dollars have led to significant advances in the treatment of breast cancer through research at the National Institutes of Health, NIH, which receives 70 percent of the stamp's proceeds, and at the Department of Defense, DOD, which receives the remaining 30 percent of the proceeds.

For example, the GAO reported that: In 2006, NIH began to use the stamp's proceeds for a new program called the Trial Assigning Individualized Options for Treatment to help determine which breast cancer patients are most likely to benefit from chemotherapy. Dr. Susan Neuhausen at the University of California used an NIH award that has led to many insights into breast cancer risks--using both genetic and environmental data to further define the breast and ovarian cancer risk for individuals with a specific genetic mutation. Dr. Archbald Perkins at Yale University used a Department of Defense award to do research to help with the prognosis of some breast cancers by using new techniques to identify novel genes involved in cancer.

In addition to raising much needed funds for breast cancer research, this wonderful stamp has also focused public awareness on this devastating disease, and it is just as necessary today as ever.

About 3 million women in the United States are living with breast cancer, 1 million of whom have yet to be diagnosed. This year alone, about 178,480 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed among American women. And one out of every 8 women nationwide will get breast cancer in her lifetime, with the disease claiming another woman's life every 13 minutes.

Extending the life of this remarkable stamp is crucial. With the sale of the breast cancer research stamp, every dollar we continue to raise will provide hope to breast cancer survivors and will help save lives until a cure is found. Again, I thank my colleagues for supporting this important legislation.

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