November 11, 2026
The Honorable Josh Gottheimer
U.S. House Of Representatives
106 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Mike Lawler
U.S. House Of Representatives
324 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Gottheimer and Representative Lawler:
The undersigned organizations are members of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, which includes patient advocacy groups, healthcare professional societies, and scientific organizations representing Americans who care deeply about childhood cancer. We are writing to offer our endorsement of H.R. 10405, Kylie's Voices for Childhood Cancer Act. Thank you for your leadership in the fight against childhood cancer.
Each year in the U.S., an estimated 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer, and cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease among children. Pediatric cancer is biologically distinct from adult cancer, yet state cancer control planning has historically been adult-cancer-focused, leaving children's needs underrepresented in funding and policy decisions.
Named in memory of Kylie Kupperman, the Kylie's Voices for Childhood Cancer Act amends the Public Health Service Act to strengthen the voice of pediatric cancer patients, survivors, and experts within federal and state cancer control efforts. The bill requires any state receiving CDC funding for comprehensive cancer control plans to include at least two pediatric cancer experts on its state cancer control coalition, ensuring children, survivors, and families have a direct voice in how cancer control dollars and priorities are set.
The bill also directs HHS to establish the Cancer Control Plan Pediatric Cancer Advisory Committee, with representatives from NCI, NIH, CDC, and state Maternal and Child Health/HRSA-funded programs, plus two members drawn from pediatric cancer nonprofits, care teams, survivors, or caregivers. This committee will develop best practices for addressing pediatric cancer in state cancer control plans, recommend uses of HRSA and Title V funding for pediatric cancer patients, and develop best practices for adolescent and young adult cancer patients. Further, the bill amends Title V of the Social Security Act to allow states to use Maternal and Child Health Block Grant funds to meet pediatric-specific goals within CDC Comprehensive Cancer Control programs and to implement the advisory committee's recommendations, giving states a practical funding pathway to act on the committee's guidance rather than leaving good policy unfunded.
Thank you for your leadership on behalf of children with cancer. We look forward to working with you to enact Kylie's Voices for Childhood Cancer Act. Should you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Rosalie Abbott, Co-Chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, at Rosalie.abbott@stbaldricks.org, or Dr. Michael Link, Co-Chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, at mlink@stanford.edu.
Sincerely,
The Alliance for Childhood Cancer
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Cancer Research
American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation
Blood Cancer United
Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation
MIB Agents Osteosarcoma
National Brain Tumor Society
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research
St. Baldrick's Foundation
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
