Early Act Reauthorization of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon in strong support of H.R. 5185, the EARLY Act. This very important bipartisan bill would reauthorize education and outreach programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created to highlight the breast cancer risks facing young women.

Breast cancer, as we know, is an issue that hits close to home for many Americans. While most breast cancers are found in women who are over 50 years old or older, about 11 percent of all new cases of breast cancer in the U.S. are found in women 45 and younger. And while diagnosis and treatment are difficult for women of any age, young survivors often find it even more challenging.

This bill would reauthorize the important programs created in the EARLY Act, first passed to increase an understanding of breast cancer among young women by conducting prevention research and a campaign to raise awareness among the public and medical providers about early cases of breast cancer.

This bill continues to improve the health and quality of life of young breast cancer survivors and young women who are at a higher risk of getting the disease.

I want to particularly thank the two authors of the bill, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, herself a breast cancer survivor, and Energy and Commerce Committee member Renee Ellmers, who is managing the bill this afternoon. I am so proud to support this effort.

The prevention, treatment, and ultimately curing of diseases requires an all-hands-on-deck effort to not only educate but also innovate on new cures and treatments.

Early this year, the Energy and Commerce Committee embarked on the 21st Century Cures initiative with a goal of finding cures and treatments for thousands without one, including this terrible disease.

Sadly, we have all been touched in some manner by cancer or some other disease, whether it is a personal diagnosis or a courageous fight by a loved one. We have been encouraged and humbled by the support that we have seen for this initiative, but also understand that there is a great deal of work ahead. We look forward to meeting that challenge, and this bill helps us.

I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Again, I particularly want to commend the two gentleladies who will be speaking here this afternoon and urge all my colleagues to vote for it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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