July 17, 2008
Statement

Floor Statement on Passage of the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act

MR. REED:  Mr. President, I am very pleased by the Senate's actions last night to pass bipartisan legislation that I introduced, the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act.

Recently, through the leadership of Representative Pryce, the House passed its version of this legislation by an overwhelming vote of 416-0. The bill was renamed after Representative Pryce's daughter, Caroline Pryce Walker, who died of neuroblastoma at a young age.

Ben Haight of Rhode Island also died of neuroblastoma. But Caroline and Ben shared more than this terrible disease. They inspired their families to turn tragedy into hope. They and others also inspired many of us in Congress to work on this legislation.

The bill invests $30 million a year to expand pediatric cancer research. It also creates a national childhood cancer registry to track pediatric cancer. Researchers would be able to contact patients within weeks, enroll them in research studies, and follow up with them over time. In Europe, similar registries are already yielding results to research questions.

Again, I am pleased that our many efforts to overcome objections to the bill have finally succeeded, and that the bill is on its way to the President's desk to be signed into law.

###