March 21, 2025
Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Ms. Norton, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Cohen, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. Meeks) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community.
Whereas colorectal cancer, or CRC, is the third-most common cancer in the United States for men and women combined, and the second-leading cause of cancer death;
Whereas this disease takes the lives of more than 50,000 people each year;
Whereas the rate of CRC is 20 percent higher among Black men and is 14 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas the rate of CRC death is 40 percent higher among Black men and is 25 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites;
Whereas CRC is the third-leading cause of cancer death in both Black men and women in the United States;
Whereas Black Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rate for CRC of any racial group in the United States;
Whereas deaths from colorectal cancer among people younger than 55 have increased 1.9 percent per year from 2011 to 2019;
Whereas the tragic death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman from colorectal cancer has catalyzed more conversation about CRC’s impact on the Black community;
Whereas, by 2030, it is expected that CRC will be the leading cause of death among people ages 20 to 49;
Whereas it is estimated that 19 percent of racial disparity in CRC death rates between White and Black Americans is due to lower screening rates alone; and
Whereas CRC has a 90-percent survival rate when caught at the earliest stage and there are many screening methods available: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes the deadly impact colorectal cancer has to the American people;
(2)
acknowledges the racial disparity that the Black community faces when dealing with colorectal cancer;
(3)
encourages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue and expand their work to identify those factors that result in the colorectal racial screening disparity and develop effective strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate racial disparities in colorectal screening;
(4)
encourages everyone get colorectal cancer screening when recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force;
(5)
encourages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research to determine any environmental factors, and the National Institutes of Health to conduct research into any physiological factors that cause an elevated risk for colorectal cancer in young adults; and
(6)
urges State health plans to quickly adopt new measures to cover colorectal screenings for individuals at a lower age, with special consideration for the Black community and all those at higher risk for colorectal cancer.