CONGRESS DECLARES NOVEMBER 2005 “PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS MONTH”

On Thursday, October 6, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives approved House Resolution 276 (H. Res. 276) to declare November 2005 “National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.”

Introduced in May by Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA), the resolution was referred to the House Government Reform Committee where new rules required any such resolution to have a minimum of 50 co-sponsors before it could be approved by the Committee. Hundreds of PanCAN members wrote and called their Representatives in Congress, and as a result 60 members contacted Rep. Platts to support H. Res. 276 by co-sponsoring the measure. [For a full listing of co-sponsors of H. Res. 276, click here.]

The House Government Reform Committee approved H.Res. 276 on September 29th, and the resolution was approved on the House floor on October 6th by “unanimous consent,” which reflects that there was no opposition to the measure, and thus no need for a roll call vote. Rep. Platts had prepared a one-minute floor statement to read, but due to scheduling conflicts, asked Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) to read the statement on the House floor in his absence.
[To read the floor statement of Rep. Duncan, click here.]

PanCAN would like to thank all of the individuals who contacted their U.S. Representatives in support of this proclamation, as it further enhances our November campaign to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer. At the same time, the resolution provided an opportunity for Federal policy makers to hear first-hand from constituents about the grim statistics on this disease.

On October 31st, PanCAN representatives will deliver “Life Bulb” kits to the Washington, D.C. offices of all 58 Congressional co-sponsors of H. Res. 276 to thank them for their support for the resolution. The Life Bulb kits are the core component of PanCAN’s November awareness campaign, and we look forward to raising additional awareness about pancreatic cancer among Federal policy makers as 58 Congressional offices will feature purple lights in their front offices in the month of November.

PanCAN would also like to thank Rep. Todd Platts for introducing H. Res. 276, and PanCAN Team Hope Coordinator Bob Hammen for reaching out to Rep. Platts and securing his support in introducing this proclamation. In addition, we would like to thank Rep. John Duncan for highlighting the need for pancreatic cancer awareness on the House floor, and we extend a huge thank-you to Becky Braunstein, legislative assistant for Rep. Platts, who coordinated the co-sponsors for H. Res. 276.

Together, we ARE making a difference!