Title: Global Hope Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Global Hope Act of 2019This bill authorizes the Department of State to work with the private sector, the United Nations, and other relevant multilateral organizations to address childhood cancer globally.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5338 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5338

     To authorize the Secretary of State to pursue public-private 
 partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, research partnerships, 
 and coordination with international and multilateral organizations to 
       address childhood cancer globally, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2019

 Mr. McCaul (for himself and Mr. Engel) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To authorize the Secretary of State to pursue public-private 
 partnerships, innovative financing mechanisms, research partnerships, 
 and coordination with international and multilateral organizations to 
       address childhood cancer globally, 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 ``Global Hope Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and 
        adolescents around the world, and approximately 300,000 
        children aged 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer each 
        year.
            (2) The most common categories of childhood cancers include 
        leukemia, brain cancer, lymphoma, and solid tumors, such as 
        neuroblastoma and Wilms tumor.
            (3) Most childhood cancers can be cured with generic 
        medicines and can be cost-effective for all income levels.
            (4) In the United States, the survival rate for children 
        diagnosed with cancer is over 80 percent. In many developing 
        countries, the mortality rate of children diagnosed with cancer 
        is around 80 percent. In some parts of Africa, the mortality 
        rate reaches 90 percent.
            (5) In September 2018, the World Health Organization 
        announced a new effort--the Global Initiative for Childhood 
        Cancer--with the aim of reaching at least a 60-percent survival 
        rate for children with cancer by 2030, thereby saving an 
        additional 1,000,000 lives.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress as follows:
            (1) The work of the United States on infectious disease 
        remains the core tenet of United States work on global health.
            (2) As the United States and international partners 
        continue to succeed in lowering incidences of infectious 
        diseases, global mortality rates of non-communicable diseases 
        will become an increasing burden that must be addressed.
            (3) The United States should work to support the goals of 
        the World Health Organization Initiative for Childhood Cancer, 
        helping increase survival rates for children with cancer.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    The United States shall seek to--
            (1) increase political commitment for childhood cancer 
        diagnosis, treatment, and care globally;
            (2) support efforts to increase the survival rate of 
        children with cancer globally;
            (3) support efforts to train medical personnel and develop 
        the capabilities of other existing healthcare infrastructure to 
        diagnose, treat, and care for childhood cancer;
            (4) improve access to affordable and essential medicines 
        and technologies that treat childhood cancer;
            (5) elevate and prioritize efforts to reduce the mortality 
        rate of childhood cancer in international organizations such as 
        the United Nations;
            (6) pursue research and research partnerships with 
        international institutions to identify low-cost interventions 
        and best practices to diagnose, treat, and care for childhood 
        cancer globally; and
            (7) improve partnerships with international health 
        ministries and pharmaceutical companies to facilitate efforts 
        for broader, global clinical trials for medicines to treat or 
        care for childhood cancer.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION.

    The Secretary of State, in coordination with the heads of relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, is authorized and encouraged to--
            (1) pursue public-private partnerships, other research 
        partnerships, and innovative financing mechanisms to address 
        childhood cancer globally; and
            (2) coordinate with appropriate agencies of the United 
        Nations and other relevant multilateral organizations to 
        address childhood cancer globally.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate a report that includes the following:
            (1) An assessment of opportunities for United States 
        engagement in global efforts to increase the worldwide survival 
        rate of children with cancer.
            (2) An assessment of efforts taken by the United States to 
        support efforts to increase the worldwide survival rate of 
        children with cancer.
            (3) An assessment of existing programs funded by the United 
        States that could be expanded to support efforts to increase 
        the worldwide survival rate of children with cancer.
            (4) An assessment of how such increased international 
        engagement could positively affect--
                    (A) survival rates of individuals with childhood 
                cancer in the United States; and
                    (B) reductions in the rates of infant and pediatric 
                morbidity and mortality.

SEC. 7. COST LIMITATION.

    No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 8. CHILDHOOD CANCER DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``childhood cancer'' means cancers formed or 
diagnosed in individuals under the age of 20.
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