IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 224 

Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer 

on the Black community. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 10, 2023 

Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. COHEN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, and Mr. 

THOMPSON of Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

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 21 percent higher among Black 

men and is 18.5 percent higher among Black women 

than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas the rate of CRC death is 31.5 percent higher among 

Black men and is 24.4 percent higher among Black 

women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; 


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•HRES 224 IH 

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 one percent per year from 2008 

to 2017; 

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; 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the deadly impact colorectal can3 cer has to the American people; 

4 (2) acknowledges the racial disparity that the 

5 Black community faces when dealing with colorectal 

6 cancer; 

7 (3) encourages the Centers for Disease Control 

8 and Prevention to continue and expand their work to 

9 identify those factors that result in the colorectal ra10 cial screening disparity and develop effective strate11 gies to reduce and ultimately eliminate racial dis12 parities in colorectal screening; 


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1 (4) encourages everyone get colorectal cancer 

2 screening when recommended by the United States 

3 Preventive Services Task Force; 

4 (5) encourages the Centers for Disease Control 

5 and Prevention to conduct research to determine any 

6 environmental factors, and the National Institutes of 

7 Health to conduct research into any physiological 

8 factors that cause an elevated risk for colorectal can9 cer in young adults; and 

10 (6) urges State health plans to quickly adopt 

11 new measures to cover colorectal screenings for indi12 viduals at a lower age, with special consideration for 

13 the Black community and all those at higher risk for 

14 colorectal cancer. 

Æ 


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