Congress Passes Heitkamp, Ayotte Bill to Mint Coins in Support of Breast Cancer Research

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) to fight breast cancer by minting coins for one year to benefit life-saving breast cancer research. The bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last year, and now goes to the President for his signature.

Introduced last fall during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Heitkamp and Ayotte's Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act would create pink, silver, and metal-alloy coins to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's efforts to fight breast cancer. Minted at no additional cost to taxpayers, the coins would become available for purchase in 2018, and would be minted the following year using the funding from coin orders. The bill was originally introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in the U.S. House of Representatives, where it passed in July.

Heitkamp, who survived breast cancer, has a unique understanding of the immediate need to build efforts and raise awareness to fight the disease which impacts 475 North Dakotans annually, and 231,840 women nationwide, who according to estimates, were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2015. Breast cancer ranked highest in 2014 among all cancer care expenditures, costing an estimated $18.1 billion.

"As a survivor of breast cancer, I know firsthand the deep and immediate impact the diagnosis has on millions of women and families across this country -- and I'm committed to fighting alongside them every step of the way, until we beat this disease," said Heitkamp. "By passing our bipartisan bill, the U.S. Congress stands united in the fight against breast cancer by supporting breast cancer research and helping find a cure. The commemorative coins will help raise awareness about breast cancer, aid life-saving research, and stand in solidarity with the brave women and their loved ones who are battling this disease."

"Whether it's a mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt or friend, we all personally know someone who has been impacted by breast cancer," said Ayotte. "Aiding life-saving breast cancer research and raising awareness about this tragic disease are two critical components to ending it for good, which is why I was proud to join Senator Heitkamp in leading this bipartisan legislation to help accomplish that goal and am pleased that our colleagues in the Senate passed it overwhelmingly."

In October, Heitkamp participated in Fargo's first Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk put on by the American Cancer Society to advocate for awareness and prevention across North Dakota.

In May 2015, Heitkamp urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to protect access to annual breast cancer screenings by opposing United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations that would make annual breast cancer screenings more difficult for women in North Dakota and across the country. Heitkamp has also supported bipartisan legislation to protect and promote access to breast cancer screenings.

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