Republicans hail House passage of bipartisan STAR Act

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Susan Brooks (R-IN) and Fred Upton (R-MI) commended passage of a comprehensive bipartisan pediatric cancer bill on May 22 by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act of 2018, S. 292, approved by the U.S. Senate on March 22, now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

“Today’s passage of the Childhood Cancer STAR Act in the House is great news for all those impacted by childhood cancer,” said Sen. Capito, who introduced S. 292 on Feb. 2, 2017 with U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).

“I am proud of the work Senator Reed and I have done to advance this bill, and I know this legislation will make an important difference in the lives of children with cancer, as well as childhood cancer survivors and their families,” Sen. Capito added. “I am thrilled our bill has now passed the House and look forward to President Trump signing this life-saving bill into law soon.”

Specifically, S. 292 amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide support for the collection of medical specimens and information of children, adolescents and young adults with selected cancers who have the least-effective treatments “in order to achieve a better understanding of these cancers and the effects of treatment,” according to the congressional record summary.

Additionally, the bill reauthorizes the national childhood cancer registry through fiscal year 2022 and is revised to authorize the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award grants to state cancer registries to improve tracking of childhood cancers, according to the summary.

Also under S. 292, among other provisions, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may support pilot programs to develop or study monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors throughout their lives; and establish a task force to develop and test standards for high-quality childhood cancer survivorship care.

While deaths from childhood cancer have decreased almost 70 percent over the last 40 years, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease past infancy among children in the United States, according to the NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI). During the last year, more than 10,300 children up to age 14 years received cancer diagnoses in the United States and 1,250 of them are expected to die of the disease, according to NCI.

House passage of S. 292 will prioritize childhood cancer research at NIH and improve targeted treatments, surveillance and quality-of-life resources for survivors, according to a joint statement from Reps. McCaul and Kelly, who are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus with U.S. Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and G. K. Butterfield (D-NC).

The four lawmakers introduced the identical bill, H.R. 820, in the House on Feb. 2, 2017. The measure garnered a total of 370 cosponsors, while S. 292 had 55 cosponsors.

“Today was a long-anticipated day for the pediatric cancer community, and one to be celebrated,” the members said on May 22. “Childhood cancer remains one of the deadliest killers of our kids and we as a Congress, and a nation, must say, ‘Enough is enough.’”

Rep. Brooks, who cosponsored H.R. 820 and voted in support of S. 292, noted that the STAR Act will help uncover new therapies and treatments, while also improving the systems that monitor and provide treatment.

“There are children in every corner of our country who are battling or losing their fight with this ruthless disease,” the congresswoman said. “I am proud this bill has passed the House of Representatives and look forward to the president signing it into law.”

Rep. Upton echoed those sentiments and added, “For patients here in Michigan and across the country – hope is on its way.”

“Following on the heels of the 21st Century Cures Act, this is another important step to help find cures and treatments for our smallest patients bravely battling disease,” Rep. Upton said.