HR 124 — A Resolution designating the month of September 2025 as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   994

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



           HOUSE RESOLUTION
              No. 124
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY McNEILL, FREEMAN, GREINER, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS,
        MADDEN, VITALI, WAXMAN, SAMUELSON, MALAGARI, COOPER, GIRAL,
        HANBIDGE, DIAMOND, NEILSON, ZIMMERMAN, RIVERA, D. WILLIAMS,
        BELLMON, CERRATO, HOHENSTEIN AND SCHLOSSBERG, MARCH 17, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, MARCH 17, 2025


                                 A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating the month of September 2025 as "Prostate Cancer
 2      Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
 3      WHEREAS, The prostate is a small gland found only in men and
 4   located below the bladder; and
 5      WHEREAS, In some cases, prostate cancer can make the prostate
 6   enlarged; and
 7      WHEREAS, Prostate Cancer Research, a nonprofit organization
 8   under the National Cancer Research Institute, reports that the
 9   risk of prostate cancer increases with age with most cases
10   diagnosed in men over 50 years of age; and
11      WHEREAS, According to the Prostate Conditions Education
12   Council, 1 in 8 American men will get prostate cancer and 1 in
13   41 men will die from prostate cancer; and
14      WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society estimates that more than
15   13,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 2025 in
16   Pennsylvania; and
17      WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,500
 1   Pennsylvanians will die of prostate cancer in 2025; and
 2      WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
 3   describes symptoms of prostate cancer that include difficulty
 4   starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, trouble
 5   emptying the bladder completely, pain or burning during
 6   urination, blood in the urine and pain in the back, hips or
 7   pelvis; and
 8      WHEREAS, Prostate cancer can be dormant in a person's body
 9   for up to 20 years without symptoms, increasing the chance that
10   a person may be sick without the person's knowledge; and
11      WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society recommends that men with
12   an average risk of prostate cancer start screening for prostate
13   cancer at 50 years of age; and
14      WHEREAS, For men at a high risk of developing prostate cancer
15   and men who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with prostate
16   cancer at an early age, screening should begin at 45 years of
17   age; and
18      WHEREAS, For men at even greater risk, including those with
19   more than one first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at
20   an early age, screening should begin at 40 years of age; and
21      WHEREAS, Men should consult with their physician about the
22   benefits of screening for prostate cancer; and
23      WHEREAS, There are two tests used by physicians to screen for
24   prostate cancer: a prostate-specific antigen test, which
25   measures the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood,
26   and a digital rectal examination, which detects abnormalities of
27   the prostate; and
28      WHEREAS, If abnormalities are noted from either screening, a
29   biopsy may be recommended to assist in diagnosing potential
30   prostate cancer; and

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 1      WHEREAS, In the 119th Session of the United States Congress,
 2   H.R. 1300 was introduced to provide prostate cancer screenings
 3   and prevention by requiring group health plans and health
 4   insurance policies to provide health insurance coverage of
 5   preventive prostate cancer screenings, without cost-sharing, for
 6   men with a personal or family history of prostate cancer; and
 7      WHEREAS, If Congress were to pass H.R. 1300, men with
 8   federally regulated and state-regulated health coverage could
 9   receive this important and possibly lifesaving care; therefore
10   be it
11      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
12   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designate the month of September
13   2025 as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania; and
14   be it further
15      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
16   Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
17   States to support H.R. 1300; and be it further
18      RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
19   the presiding officers of each house of Congress and each member
20   of Congress from Pennsylvania.




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