HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 73
(By Delegates Trump, Miller, Anderson, Border,
Fletcher, Facemyer, Douglas, Hall, Ashley,

Angotti, Proudfoot and Faircloth)

Requesting that the United States Congress increase funding for research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
Whereas, With the exception of skin cancers, prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men and one out of every five American men will develop prostate cancer; and
Whereas, The American Cancer Society estimates that in one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight, in the United States of America, approximately two hundred ten thousand new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed and approximately forty-two thousand deaths were caused by prostate cancer, and with an estimated nine million men currently suffering from prostate cancer, the United States is in the midst of a near epidemic of this disease; and
Whereas, African-American males in the United States have the highest incidence of prostate cancer of any population in the world; and
Whereas, There is a need for equal access to recognized forms of prostate cancer treatment; and
Whereas, The number of prostate cancer cases diagnosed has increased significantly over the past thirty-five years, partly as a result of the widespread use of improved screening techniques, including screening for the prostate cancer antigen; and
Whereas, Superior diagnostic and prognostic techniques are needed; and
Whereas, The American Cancer Society is a founding member of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, a network of prostate cancer patients, advocates and supporting organizations, which is gathering one million signatures for presentation to President William J. Clinton; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the West Virginia Legislature joins the National Prostate Cancer Coalition and other organizations and individuals seeking and supporting increased federal appropriations for research regarding prevention, diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the West Virginia Legislature respectfully requests that the United States Congress and President William J. Clinton support increased funding for this research; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this Resolution to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America; the Honorable Al Gore, Vice President of the United States and President of the United States Senate; the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; and to the Honorable Robert C. Byrd and the Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV, United States Senators; and to the Honorable Alan Mollohan, United States Representative, the Honorable Nick Rahall, United States Representative and the Honorable Robert Wise, United States Representative, members of the West Virginia delegation currently serving in Congress.