Prostate Cancer Community Assistance, Research and Education Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.7750 | Sponsor: Rep. Murphy, Gregory (R-NC)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Prostate Cancer Community Assistance, Research and Education Act of 2022 or the PC-CARE Act
This bill establishes a committee to develop, implement, and periodically revise a plan to coordinate federal activities and programs concerning prostate cancer, including those related to research, screening, diagnosis, and treatment.
Committee members must include representatives from specified federal agencies, as well as researchers, clinicians, individuals living with prostate cancer (or their caregivers), and other stakeholders. In addition, at least half of the members must be physicians.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a Prostate Cancer 
            Coordinating Committee, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Prostate Cancer Community 
Assistance, Research and Education Act of 2022'' or the ``PC-CARE 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin 
        cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths 
        among men in the United States.
            (2) Over 3,100,000 men in the United States live with a 
        prostate cancer diagnosis and it is estimated that in 2021, 
        248,530 men will be diagnosed with, and more than 34,130 men 
        will die of, prostate cancer.
            (3) Men with at least one close relative who has been 
        diagnosed with prostate cancer have twice the risk of having 
        prostate cancer compared to the general population.
            (4) At least 12 percent of men with metastatic prostate 
        cancer have inherited predispositions to the disease and 
        potentially actionable genomic alterations have been identified 
        in over 90 percent of men with metastatic castration-resistant 
        prostate cancer.
            (5) Advances in science to identify, test, and treat these 
        men at increased genetic risk of disease are needed.
            (6) African-American men suffer from a prostate cancer 
        incidence rate that is significantly higher than that of White 
        men and have more than double the prostate cancer mortality 
        rate than that of White men.
            (7) Research has shown that veterans exposed to herbicides, 
        such as Agent Orange, are at higher risk for and more likely to 
        be diagnosed with aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
            (8) Screening by a digital rectal examination and a 
        prostate-specific antigen blood test can detect the disease at 
        the earlier, more treatable stages.
            (9) Men diagnosed with early stage disease have a nearly 
        100 percent 5-year survival rate but only 30 percent of men 
        survive more than 5 years if diagnosed with prostate cancer 
        after the cancer has metastasized.
            (10) Early-staged prostate cancer has no symptoms, raising 
        the importance of early detection and screening.
            (11) The Department of Health and Human Services, the 
        Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs 
        all have a role in providing care for and conducting research 
        on prostate cancer.
            (12) Multiple institutes at the National Institutes of 
        Health are engaged in prostate cancer care and research, 
        including the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of 
        Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, the National Institute 
        on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the Clinical 
        Center.
            (13) Additional agencies and offices within the Department 
        of Health and Human Services conduct activities related to 
        prostate cancer, including the Centers for Medicare and 
        Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health 
        Resources and Services Administration, the Office of Minority 
        Health, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
            (14) The Department of Defense created the Prostate Cancer 
        Research Program in 1997 and has funded more than 
        $2,000,000,000 in prostate cancer research since that time.
            (15) Private foundations have provided substantial funding 
        to the prostate cancer research community for almost three 
        decades, including support for over 200 cancer centers and 
        universities.
            (16) The Director of the National Institutes of Health has 
        partnered with private prostate cancer research groups to study 
        to study biological and nonbiological factors associated 
        aggressive prostate cancer in African-American men.
            (17) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has partnered with 
        private foundations to establish precision oncology program 
        hubs for prostate cancer.
            (18) The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention has partnered with multiple private stakeholder 
        groups to increase awareness and education around prostate 
        cancer in the general population and among high-risk groups.
            (19) Increased coordination of governmental and 
        nongovernmental activities can reduce costs and increase 
        effectiveness of ongoing work.
            (20) Joint planning and goal setting across the Government 
        and private sector can create a pathway toward eliminating 
        prostate cancer deaths and improving care for millions of men.

SEC. 3. PROSTATE CANCER COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

    Part A of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 404F. PROSTATE CANCER COORDINATING COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a committee to 
be known as the Prostate Cancer Coordinating Committee (referred to in 
this section as the `Coordinating Committee').
    ``(b) Duties.--The Coordinating Committee shall--
            ``(1) monitor, coordinate, and evaluate activities with 
        respect to prostate cancer research programs carried out by 
        Federal agencies; and
            ``(2) develop and implement the plan under subsection (g).
    ``(c) Composition.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Coordinating Committee shall be 
        composed of not more than 24 members, to be appointed by the 
        Secretary, of whom--
                    ``(A) one-half shall represent Federal agencies 
                that carry out research or treatment activities with 
                respect to prostate cancer, including--
                            ``(i) the Director of the National 
                        Institutes of Health (or designee);
                            ``(ii) the directors of the appropriate 
                        agencies of the National Institutes of Health 
                        (or designees), including the National Cancer 
                        Institute;
                            ``(iii) the Director of the Centers for 
                        Disease Control and Prevention (or designee);
                            ``(iv) the Administrator of the Health 
                        Resources and Services Administration (or 
                        designee);
                            ``(v) the Administrator of the Centers for 
                        Medicare & Medicaid Services (or designee);
                            ``(vi) the Commissioner of Food and Drugs 
                        (or designee);
                            ``(vii) the Secretary of Defense (or 
                        designee); and
                            ``(viii) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs 
                        (or designee); and
                    ``(B) one-half shall be individuals who have 
                experience with prostate cancer, including--
                            ``(i) not less than 3 individuals who are 
                        living with prostate cancer (or a caregiver of 
                        such individual);
                            ``(ii) not less than 3 researchers;
                            ``(iii) not less than 3 clinicians;
                            ``(iv) not less than 3 representatives from 
                        patient groups; and
                            ``(v) not less than 3 representatives from 
                        professional medical societies.
            ``(2) Physician requirement.--Of the members appointed 
        under paragraph (1), not less than one-half shall be 
        physicians.
    ``(d) Term; Vacancies.--
            ``(1) In general.--A member shall be appointed for a term 
        of 3 years.
            ``(2) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Coordinating Committee 
        shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment 
        was made.
    ``(e) Reappointment.--The Secretary may reappoint a member of the 
Coordinating Committee to an unlimited number of terms.
    ``(f) Chair.--The Secretary shall appoint the chair of the 
Coordinating Committee.
    ``(g) Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this section, the Coordinating Committee shall develop and implement 
a plan (and update such plan every 3 years thereafter), in consultation 
with a broad range of scientists, patients, clinicians, and advocacy 
groups, on prostate cancer research programs and activities carried out 
by Federal agencies. Such plan shall include the following:
            ``(1) The identification of existing prostate cancer 
        programs and activities of the--
                    ``(A) the Department of Health and Human Services, 
                including the National Institutes of Health;
                    ``(B) the Department of Defense; and
                    ``(C) the Department of Veterans Affairs.
            ``(2) An evaluation on research with respect to the 
        underlying causes, prevalence, treatment, and mortality of 
        prostate cancer, including any disparity among African-American 
        and other high-risk men (defined as men who have a family 
        history of prostate cancer, a genetic predisposition for 
        prostate cancer, or developed cancer due to exposure to certain 
        chemical and radiological agents).
            ``(3) With respect to prostate cancer--
                    ``(A) an evaluation on the effectiveness of current 
                screening and diagnostic techniques; and
                    ``(B) recommendations for improving such 
                techniques.
            ``(4) An evaluation on the effectiveness of treatments for 
        prostate cancer and the development of recommendations for new 
        treatments, including new biological agents.
            ``(5) With respect to prostate cancer, an evaluation on the 
        effectiveness of clinical practice guidelines and the 
        development of recommendations to improve such guidelines.
            ``(6) The development of recommendations to improve 
        clinical pathways in private and government-operated medical 
        systems, including screening and diagnosis and information on 
        informed and shared decision making.
            ``(7) The development of recommendations for research 
        investigation methods for improving the quality of life of 
        individuals who have survived with prostate cancer.
            ``(8) With respect to prostate cancer, an evaluation on the 
        effectiveness of information and education programs for health 
        care professionals and the public.
            ``(9) With respect to screening and clinical trial 
        enrollment for prostate cancer, recommendations to improve 
        outreach and education, including best practices for outreach 
        to African-American men and other high-risk men.
    ``(h) Meetings.--The Coordinating Committee shall meet at the 
request of the Secretary not less 3 times each year.
    ``(i) FACA.--Except as provided in this section, the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
Coordinating Committee.
    ``(j) Report.--
            ``(1) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of the enactment of this section, the Coordinating Committee 
        shall submit recommendations using the plan under subsection 
        (g) to the following:
                    ``(A) The Secretary of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services.
                    ``(B) The Secretary of Defense.
                    ``(C) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
                    ``(D) The Committees on Energy and Commerce and 
                Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
                    ``(E) The Committees on Health, Education, Labor, 
                and Pensions and Appropriations of the Senate.
            ``(2) Updated reports.--Not later than 3 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this section, and every 3 years 
        thereafter, the Coordinating Committee shall submit to the 
        secretaries and committees listed in paragraph (1)--
                    ``(A) updated recommendations using the plan under 
                subsection (g); and
                    ``(B) a summary of progress made with respect to 
                recommendations submitted pursuant to this section.
    ``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2029.''.
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