[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Senate] [Page 8158] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SENATE RESOLUTION 92--TO EXPRESS THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT FUNDING FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH SHOULD BE INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Reid, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Mack, Mr. Coverdell, and Mr. Helms) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pension: S. Res. 92 Whereas in 1999, prostate cancer is expected to kill more than 37,000 men in the United States and be diagnosed in over 180,000 new cases; Whereas prostate cancer is the most diagnosed nonskin cancer in the United States; Whereas African Americans have the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the world; Whereas considering the devastating impact of the disease among men and their families, prostate cancer research remains underfunded; Whereas more resources devoted to clinical and translational research at the National Institutes of Health will be highly determinative of whether rapid advances can be attained in treatment and ultimately a cure for prostate cancer; Whereas the Congressionally Directed Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program is making important strides in innovative prostate cancer research, and this Program presented to Congress in April of 1998 a full investment strategy for prostate cancer research at the Department of Defense; and Whereas the Senate expressed itself unanimously in 1998 that the Federal commitment to biomedical research should be doubled over the next 5 years: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This resolution may be cited as the ``Prostate Cancer Research Commitment Resolution of 1999''. SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE. It is the sense of the Senate that-- (1) finding treatment breakthroughs and a cure for prostate cancer should be made a national health priority; (2) significant increases in prostate cancer research funding, commensurate with the impact of the disease, should be made available at the National Institutes of Health and to the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program; and (3) these agencies should prioritize prostate cancer research that is directed toward innovative clinical and translational research projects in order that treatment breakthroughs can be more rapidly offered to patients. Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I submit today the Prostate Cancer Research Commitment Resolution Act of 1999 along with several of my colleagues, Senators Lautenberg, Reid, Jeffords, Schumer, Ashcroft, Mack, Coverdell, and Helms. Prostate cancer is the most diagnosed nonskin cancer in the United States. More than 40 percent of all male cancers and 14 percent of all male cancer-related deaths are due to complications from prostate cancer. In 1998, over 40,000 American men died from prostate cancer, and in 1999, it is expected that this deadly disease will strike another 37,000 men in the United States. I, along with my colleagues, am deeply committed to aiding our medical community in their research efforts to find preventive measures to stem--and eventually eradicate--this disease. Our resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that funding for prostate cancer research should be increased substantially, commensurate with the impact of the disease. Funds should be made available at the National Institutes of Health and at the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. We are also encouraging these agencies to prioritize prostate cancer research that is directed toward innovative research projects in order that treatment breakthroughs can be more rapidly offered to patients. Mr. President, this is an important step on behalf of men in the United States who have suffered from prostate cancer. Increasing funds for research would assist the medical community in its efforts to identify preventive measures men can take through prostate cancer screening procedures. I am pleased to offer this resolution today and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. ____________________