Making a Difference through Increased Awareness
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is working with Congress to increase funding for – and support reauthorization of – Johanna’s Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act, created under Johanna’s Law (P.L. 109-475), and implemented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This law provides up to $16.5 million for awareness and education through a national public service campaign that would include written materials and public service announcements.
Johanna’s Law authorized the CDC to create a gynecologic cancer early detection and awareness campaign to educate women and health care providers about the signs and symptoms of gynecologic cancers. The campaign, Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts about Gynecologic Cancer, seeks to raise awareness of the five main types of gynecologic cancer: ovarian, cervical, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. To date, the Inside Knowledge campaign has supported many activities, including the development of the web site, fact sheets, a comprehensive gynecologic cancer brochure and is working on Public Service Announcements.
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance urges Congress to support the H.R. 2941 S. XXXX to reauthorize Johanna’s Law; create a grant program to support non-profit organizations in their efforts to increase awareness of gynecologic cancer symptoms; and require the CDC to work with national organizations to leverage public-private partnerships and avoid duplication of services and materials.
Brief Legislative History of Johanna’s Law
The original bill was introduced in the House of Representative in 2004 and in the Senate in 2005 . The House held a hearing on the bill in 2006. It was passed by unanimous consent of the United States House and Senate in 2006 and signed by the President in early 2007. Johanna’s Law provides up to $16.5 million for awareness and education through a national public service campaign that would include written materials and public service announcements. Since 2007, champions and advocates worked to secure funding to implement the law through the annual appropriations process.
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FY2008 Appropriations
We requested $9 million to implement Johanna’s Law: The Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. The Senate Johanna’s Law Dear Colleague Letter was submitted to the subcommittee with 31 signatures supporting the $9 million request and approximately 45 House members for the Johanna’s Law appropriations. A number of our friends committed to fighting cancer helped us in the effort, by signing letters supporting this request to the House (PDF) and Senate (PDF). In FY08, this program was appropriated $6.5 million.
FY2009 Appropriations
The Alliance requested that Congress fully fund Johanna’s Law by appropriating $10 million in FY2009. In FY2009, this program was appropriated $6,791,000. See the Senate Johanna’s Law letter and the House Johanna’s Law Letter .
FY2010 Appropriations
The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance requested that Congress fully fund Johanna’s Law by appropriating $10 million in FY2009. Congress appropriated $6.8 million – an increase of 0.2 percent from FY 2009 levels. However, many Senators showed their support for the Johanna’s Law by signing the FY 2010 Dear Colleague letter.
FY2011 Appropriations
Once again, the Alliance requested that Congress fully fund Johanna’s Law by appropriating $10 million in FY2011. A Dear Colleague letter in the House, available here, was signed by 46 Representatives.
As Congress is currently working through the appropriations process (holding hearings, gathering testimony, etc.), it will be some time before we know the final appropriation amount for FY2011.
