Sherrod Brown: “Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be able to stand before the Members today, a day when the House will finally vote on one…”

“Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to be able to stand before the Members today, a day when the House will finally vote on one of the most important pieces of legislation affecting the health of minorities and their families. For more than a year now I have been working to increase the number of minorities and people of mixed ancestry on the National Bone Marrow Registry, not only through legislation but through coordinated outreach efforts throughout this country. Every year, Mr. Speaker, more than 30,000 people are diagnosed with one of the 60 diseases that can be cured with a bone marrow transplant. Of those, only 30 percent will have a family member who is a marrow match. That means 20,000 people each year need to find an unrelated marrow donor.”