{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2025/9/rep-sewell-welcomes-cancer-advocates-to-washington-urges-passage-of-the-nancy-gardner-sewell-multi-cancer-early-detection-act", "Rep. Sewell Welcomes Cancer Advocates to Washington, Urges Passage of the Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act", "2025-09-16", "2025", "2025-09", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor to welcome cancer advocates from across the nation to Washington for their annual advocacy day and urged passage of her legislation, H.R. 842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Screening Coverage Act.\n\nWatch it on YouTube here.\n\nToday, more than 700 cancer advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), representing every state and all 435 congressional districts, will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to raise awareness of the urgent need for policies that improve cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and patient support.\n\nRep. Sewell is proud to be leading legislation to ensure access to cutting-edge early detection cancer screenings for our nation\u2019s seniors. H.R. 842, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act, would create a pathway for Medicare to cover emerging diagnostic tools, once FDA-approved, which hold the promise of screening for up to 40 cancers with a simple blood test.\n\nH.R. 842 enjoys robust bipartisan support, with more than 295 House co-sponsors and 62 Senate co-sponsors. It is supported by more than 600 patient advocate organizations across the nation and is among the top legislative priorities of ACS CAN.\n\nIn the 118th Congress, the bill\u2019s lead Republican sponsor, Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19), renamed the bill in honor of Rep. Sewell\u2019s late mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in June 2021. Today is Nancy Gardner Sewell\u2019s 86th birthday.\n\nRep. Sewell\u2019s remarks are transcribed below.\n\nRep. Sewell: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome to our nation\u2019s capital patient advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network for their annual fly-in!\n\nThis week, 700 advocates representing every state and all 435 congressional delegations and districts will be raising awareness of the urgent need for policies that improve cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, and patient support. It is truly an honor to have these advocates with us this week sharing their stories of resilience, loss, determination, and hope.\n\nLike so many of these advocates, I know firsthand the impact cancer can have on families. On June 10, 2021, I lost my beloved mother, Nancy Gardner Sewell, to pancreatic cancer. And like so many patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, my mother\u2019s cancer was not detected until \u2018Stage 4\u2019 and therefore was not treatable.\n\nTragically, cancer took her life only eight weeks after her diagnosis. It was a shock to our entire family, the lingering effects of which I feel every day.\n\nIn an effort to turn my pain into passion, I made a commitment to do all that I could to prevent other families from experiencing such a painful loss. That\u2019s why I am proud to be leading legislation alongside my Republican colleague, Congressman Jodey Arrington of Texas, to expand access to early detection cancer screenings. Our bill, the Nancy Gardner Sewell Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act, would create a pathway for Medicare to cover emerging blood tests, once FDA-approved, which hold the promise of screening for up to 40 types of cancer with a simple blood draw.\n\nWhen it comes to cancer, we know that early detection is our best protection, and that\u2019s exactly what this bill will do. It will ensure that those who are most at risk of catching cancer early and stopping it before it spreads.\n\nThanks to the advocacy of the American Cancer Society and their partners, our bill has bipartisan support\u2014295 House members and 62 Senators have cosponsored it.\n\nLast Congress, Jodey surprised me by renaming the legislation in honor of my late mother\u2014Nancy Gardner Sewell of Selma, Alabama, who passed away in 2021 from pancreatic cancer.\n\nWho was she? My mom was a devout Christian who lived a life of faith, an exemplary educator, a librarian, media specialist. She served the Selma Public School System for 36 years, where she shaped minds and uplifted children. As a librarian, she was a strong advocate for reading, initiating the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) program in 1973, delivering books to children throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, a program that still serves children in Selma-Dallas County and Alabama\u2019s rural Black Belt today.\n\nNancy Sewell was a trailblazing civic leader. She became the first African American woman elected to Selma\u2019s City Council and served as an inspirational role model for women in politics.\n\nHer favorite saying was \u201cbloom where you\u2019re planted.\u201d You can make a difference right where you are. And she made a big difference in the lives of so many people that she touched.\n\nAgain, I want to thank the American Cancer Society and their more than 700 supporters for honoring my mother on this day of advocacy, today, her birthday.\n\nI urge all of my colleagues to join us in this important effort. Let\u2019s pass H.R. 842, the Multi-Cancer Early Detection Act, and pave the way for a world without cancer.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2025/9/rep-sewell-welcomes-cancer-advocates-to-washington-urges-passage-of-the-nancy-gardner-sewell-multi-cancer-early-detection-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.411816269159317, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}