IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 563
Expressing the sense of the House regarding the importance of bone marrow
donation, honoring the National Marrow Donor Program for its work
in increasing bone marrow donations, and supporting National Marrow
Awareness Month, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 26, 2002
Mr. YOUNG of Florida (for himself, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr.
FOLEY, Mr. CRANE, Mr. PENCE, Mr. BASS, Mr. SIMPSON, Mr. MASCARA,
Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr.
BENTSEN, Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. TOM DAVIS
of Virginia, Mr. WATKINS of Oklahoma, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. CLAY, Mr.
CARDIN, Mr. SOUDER, and Mr. SUNUNU) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House regarding the importance
of bone marrow donation, honoring the National Marrow
Donor Program for its work in increasing bone marrow
donations, and supporting National Marrow Awareness
Month, and for other purposes.
Whereas each year an estimated 30,000 Americans are diag-
nosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, for
which a marrow or blood stem cell transplant can be a
cure;
•HRES 563 IH
Whereas when the National Marrow Donor Program was
founded in 1986, unrelated donor bone marrow trans-
plantation was an investigational therapy with uncertain
benefits;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program is the inter-
national leader in marrow and blood stem cell transplan-
tation;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has facilitated
approximately 15,000 transplants relying on bone mar-
row donations from volunteer, unrelated individuals dur-
ing the past 15 years;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has actively
recruited a diverse registry of more than 4,000,000 po-
tential volunteer marrow and blood stem cell donors and,
at any given time, offers hope to more than 3,000 pa-
tients searching its registry;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program has worked
diligently to increase the number of minority patients re-
ceiving transplants each year;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program plays an im-
portant role in the Nation’s defense by actively maintain-
ing a contingency plan to assist the military in treating
victims of nuclear, chemical, and biological attacks;
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program provides sup-
port for patients and physicians and conducts research
studies aimed at increasing opportunities for and improv-
ing outcomes of stem cell transplants; and
Whereas the National Marrow Donor Program and its na-
tional and international affiliates are joining together for
National Marrow Awareness Month in November to edu-
•HRES 563 IH
cate Americans about the importance of becoming a mar-
row donor: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) encourages all Americans to learn about the im-
portance of bone marrow donation and to become a bone
marrow donor by joining the National Marrow Donor
Program Registry;
(2) honors the National Marrow Donor Program for
its outstanding efforts during the past 15 years to edu-
cate Americans about the importance of donating bone
marrow, to support research to improve the outcomes of
bone marrow and related transplants, and to advocate
tirelessly for patients needing bone marrow transplants
and their donors;
(3) praises the National Marrow Donor Program
for its dedication to increasing the number and diversity
of bone marrow donors, which has tripled the number of
transplants performed on minority patients since 1995;
(4) commends the millions of Americans who have
already joined the National Marrow Donor Program
Registry; and
(5) supports the goals of National Marrow Aware-
ness Month, especially efforts to increase the number of
minority donors and to educate Americans about bone
marrow donation and transplants.
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