Press Releases

Press Release

Congress Passes Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act, On Track to Provide $80 Million for Childhood Cancer Programs

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December 22, 2022

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jo Anne Avelar
joanne.avelar@stbaldricks.org

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 22, 2022) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer grants, commends the House of Representatives for passing the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act today, which would allow the programs from the original Childhood Cancer STAR Act to continue for five more years. The Senate unanimously passed this legislation earlier this week. The bill now heads to the President to be signed into law. 

St. Baldrick’s is also pleased to see Congress specially set aside $80 million again for childhood cancer programs, as included in the federal funding bill that is expected to be passed this week. This funding agreement included $30 million to fully fund the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill in history, for a fifth consecutive year, and $50 million to fully fund the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative (CCDI) for a fourth straight year. 

“On behalf of the advocates, volunteers and donors of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and the kids and families we serve, I thank our lawmakers for passing the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act and making childhood cancer a priority,” said Kathleen Ruddy, CEO of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Conquering childhood cancer requires strong action from philanthropy, industry, academia – and the federal government. The childhood cancer community deeply values the consistent bipartisan commitment to support and fund important programs that are making a difference for kids with cancer.” 

Congress unanimously passed the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act in 2018. The STAR Act expands opportunities for childhood cancer research, improves efforts to identify and track childhood cancer incidences, and enhances the quality of life for childhood cancer survivors. 

Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Reps. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), and G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) introduced the bipartisan, bicameral Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act in April to allow these programs to continue for five more years. 

St. Baldrick’s Foundation advocates and volunteers were directly involved throughout the legislative process to support the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act and secure resources to implement the Childhood Cancer STAR Act and CCDI. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation also worked closely with allies in the childhood cancer community to share the community’s collective support for these programs, including the Alliance for Childhood Cancer. The Alliance for Childhood Cancer is a coalition of patient advocacy groups, healthcare professional societies and scientific organizations; the St. Baldrick’s Foundation serves as a co-chair of the Alliance. 

“Thanks to support for initiatives like the STAR Act and CCDI – and to the tireless effort of childhood cancer advocates – the federal investment in childhood cancer research has more than doubled in recent years,” Ruddy said. “There is still much more work to do to develop new, safe therapies for kids with cancer, but this week’s news gives us all so much hope and momentum for the future. We look forward to continuing to work with our champions in Congress and the Administration to give kids a lifetime beyond a cancer diagnosis.” 

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation 

 Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to Conquer Kids’ Cancer by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one hospital – you support virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer. 

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