S.C.R. No. 136
                             SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, Each year 13,000 men in Texas are diagnosed with
    1-2  prostate cancer, causing it to be a major public health problem;
    1-3  and
    1-4        WHEREAS, Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of
    1-5  cancer deaths for Texas men, with 2,200 men dying each year or
    1-6  about 11 percent of all cancer deaths among men in Texas; and
    1-7        WHEREAS, Early detection of prostate cancer is critical to
    1-8  the preservation of life and health care strategies for those at
    1-9  risk of prostate cancer; and
   1-10        WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society recommends that every
   1-11  man age 40 and older should have a digital rectal examination as
   1-12  part of his regular annual physical checkup, and every man age 50
   1-13  and older should have an annual prostate-specific antigen blood
   1-14  test; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, The American Cancer Society reports that survival
   1-16  rates for all stages of prostate cancer have steadily improved,
   1-17  increasing from 50 percent to 80 percent in the past 30 years; and
   1-18        WHEREAS, African-American Texans have the highest incidence
   1-19  of and mortality rates from prostate cancer; and
   1-20        WHEREAS, It is in the public interest of this state to
   1-21  promote public awareness of the benefits and values of the early
   1-22  detection, prevention, and treatment of prostate cancer; and
   1-23        WHEREAS, Improved public awareness of the disparity in
    2-1  funding for prostate cancer research, as compared to the research
    2-2  funding for other major killer diseases, will help bring a halt to
    2-3  this inequity and thereby save men's lives; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States of America has
    2-5  designated a week as Prostate Cancer Awareness Week in an effort to
    2-6  promote education, awareness, and understanding of this disease,
    2-7  and it is appropriate for the Lone Star State to join men, their
    2-8  families, and loved ones throughout Texas in recognizing the
    2-9  importance of this disease; now, therefore, be it
   2-10        RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas
   2-11  hereby designate the week of each year that begins with Father's
   2-12  Day as Texas Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, to promote the early
   2-13  detection and treatment of prostate cancer, for the preservation of
   2-14  lives, and to encourage men to have an annual examination.