HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 HJM 4004

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                         Health Care

Brief Description:  Urging support of prostate cancer research.

Sponsors:  Representatives Dickerson, Cody, Skinner, O'Brien, Veloria, Kessler, McIntire, Wood, Lovick, Romero, Conway, Ruderman, Hurst and Kenney.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Health Care:  1/28/99, 2/9/99 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Prostate cancer is a serious disease among men.

$The federal government is asked to allocate more funding for prostate cancer research.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives Cody, Democratic Co-Chair; Parlette, Republican Co-Chair; Pflug, Republican Vice Chair; Schual-Berke, Democratic Vice Chair; Alexander; Boldt; Campbell; Conway; Edmonds; Edwards; Mulliken and Ruderman.

Staff:  Bill Hagens (786-7131).

Background:  Based on national cancer research:  Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers of American men; it is estimated that in 1999, about 179,300 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States; prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, exceeded only by lung cancer; 37,000 men in the United States are projected to die of this disease during 1999; and African-American men have the highest incidence of prostate cancer of any population of men in the world today.

Summary of Bill:

President Clinton and Congress are asked to support increased federal funding for prostate cancer research.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Testimony For:  Prostate cancer is a major threat to men's health.  More money should be spent on prostate cancer research.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Dickerson, prime sponsor; Karen McDonell, Public Advocate; Frank Kirk and Pearline Dottin, American Cancer Society; and Paul Sanders, Puget Sound American Cancer Society Task Force on Prostate Cancer.