Share:
House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 3, 2019 04:32 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Thomas R. Caltagirone |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Fund a Cure for Pediatric Cancer |
| This bill will allocate $10 million dollars in tax credits to businesses per year for the next 10 years. Each of our pediatric cancer research institutions will receive an equal allocation toward pediatric cancer research. I am hopeful that the State that cured polio can cure pediatric cancer. Interestingly, many researchers have told me that pediatric cancer research breakthroughs are almost always transferable to adult patients but breakthroughs made in adult patients are almost never transferable to children patients. We need to do better and our support will make a huge difference. The pediatric cancer numbers are staggering: *7, number of children that will die today from pediatric cancer. *46, number of children that will be diagnosed with cancer today. *1 in 5, the number of children that will eventually die from cancer. *Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children ages 1-14. *8, average age of death for a child with pediatric cancer. *Over the last 20 years only 1 new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use. *Less than 4%, the percentage of funds directed toward pediatric cancer research by the National Cancer Institute. *4, number of research institutions in Pennsylvania working on cutting edge research to develop better treatments and ways to combat cancer in our kids. In the last session the House Democrats Policy Committee conducted a public hearing at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and we heard from world renowned pediatric cancer researchers and each of them pleaded with us to provide funding. https://youtu.be/Z79hyd0pbyA?list=PL5E9B141EDACAA32D I also toured research facilities at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Research Hospital and the constant theme among the research doctors was the need for funding. https://youtu.be/chR1SF-xLyY?list=PL5E9B141EDACAA32D The lack of research funding for pediatric cancer is still the main obstruction to finding a cure and better treatments. The pain and suffering of our children demand us to act and go “all in” for the cure. https://youtu.be/Or7KGUvZRlY?list=PL5E9B141EDACAA32D Let’s work together to build a brighter future for the children of Pennsylvania. My vision is to fund a cure for pediatric cancer within my lifetime. Let us take the necessary steps to do our part; and, let Pennsylvania be the state that finally finds a cure. I believe investing $100 million dollars over the next ten years will lead to a cure! Please join me in the fight against pediatric cancer. |
Introduced as HB174