I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5858 

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, endometrial, and cervical cancer, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Mr. MORELLE, and Mr. JACKSON of Illinois) 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, 

endometrial, 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, Cervical, and 

5 Endometrial Cancer Awareness Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds as follows: 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 5858 IH

1 (1) Ovarian 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) Currently there is no effective way to screen 

6 for ovarian or endometrial cancer. 

7 (4) The main method used to screen for cervical 

8 cancer is the Pap test which does not identify other 

9 gynecologic cancers. 

10 (5) Most women who develop invasive cervical 

11 cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screen12 ing. 

13 (6) Black women are more likely to die from 

14 endometrial cancer. Compared to White women, 

15 Black patients have an 80-percent higher mortality 

16 rate. 

17 (7) In 2018, Hispanic women had the highest 

18 endometrial cancer rate among young reproductive19 age women ages 35 to 39, a rate 50 percent higher 

20 than that of White women. 

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

22 The purposes of this Act are the following: 

23 (1) Raising awareness about ovarian, 

24 endometrial, and cervical cancers. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 5858 IH

1 (2) Raising awareness about the importance of 

2 knowing one’s hereditary risk of developing cancer, 

3 including the understanding of family history and 

4 the role of genetic testing and counseling. 

5 (3) Raising awareness about the importance of 

6 screening for cervical cancer. 

7 (4) Promotion of the potential value of risk-re8 ducing interventions for ovarian, endometrial, and 

9 cervical cancer. 

10 (5) Ensuring that special emphasis is given to 

11 ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancer under the 

12 public awareness campaign carried out by the Sec13 retary of Health and Human Services under section 

14 317P(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

15 247b–17(d); commonly referred to as ‘‘Johanna’s 

16 Law’’). 

17 SEC. 4. INCREASING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF OVARIAN, 

18 CERVICAL, AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCER. 

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

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

21 Law’’) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘with re23 spect to gynecologic cancers’’ and inserting ‘‘with re24 spect to ovarian, cervical, and endometrial 

25 gynecologic cancers’’; and 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 5858 IH

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

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(D) DISADVANTAGED WOMEN.—Activities 

4 under the national campaign under subpara5 graph (A) shall include public service announce6 ments under subparagraph (C) targeted to dis7 advantaged women.’’. 

8 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

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

10 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of gynecologic 

11 cancer education and awareness efforts should reflect the 

12 fact that ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers are the 

13 most deadly of the gynecologic cancers. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB