I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8442 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for activities to increase 

the awareness and knowledge of health care providers and women with 

respect to ovarian and cervical cancer, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself and Mr. SAN NICOLAS) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 

activities to increase the awareness and knowledge of 

health care providers and women with respect to ovarian 

and cervical cancer, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ovarian and Cervical 

5 Cancer Awareness Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) Ovarian and cervical cancers are among the 

2 most destructive gynecological forms of cancer. 

3 (2) Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than 

4 any other cancer of the female reproductive system. 

5 (3) The main methods used to screen for ovar6 ian cancer are pelvic exams, ultrasounds, Pap 

7 smears, and blood tests such as cancer antigen-125 

8 (‘‘CA–125’’). 

9 (4) Most women who develop invasive cervical 

10 cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screen11 ing. 

12 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

13 The purposes of this Act are the following: 

14 (1) Raising awareness about ovarian and cer15 vical cancers. 

16 (2) Raising awareness about the importance 

17 (especially for those women who have a family his18 tory of cancer or are otherwise at higher risk) of fre19 quent consultation with a physician and the possi20 bility of screening (through tests such as pelvic 

21 exams, ultrasounds, Pap smears, and blood tests 

22 such as cancer antigen-125) for ovarian, cervical, 

23 and other gynecologic cancer. 

24 (3) Promotion of early detection methods for 

25 ovarian and cervical cancer. 


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1 (4) Ensuring that special emphasis is given to 

2 ovarian and cervical cancer under the public aware3 ness campaign carried out by the Secretary of 

4 Health and Human Services under section 317P(d) 

5 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247b– 

6 17(d); commonly referred to as ‘‘Johanna’s Law’’). 

7 SEC. 4. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF OVARIAN AND 

8 CERVICAL CANCER. 

9 Section 317P(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 247b–17(d); commonly referred to as ‘‘Johanna’s 

11 Law’’) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘with re13 spect to gynecologic cancers’’ and inserting ‘‘with re14 spect to ovarian, cervical, and other gynecologic can15 cers’’; and 

16 (2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(D) LOW-INCOME WOMEN.—Activities 

19 under the national campaign under subpara20 graph (A) shall include public service announce21 ments under subparagraph (C) targeted to low22 income women.’’. 

23 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

24 It is the sense of the Congress that funding by the 

25 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of gynecologic 


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1 cancer education and awareness efforts should reflect the 

2 fact that ovarian and cervical cancers are the most deadly 

3 of the gynecologic cancers. 

Æ 


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