H.R. 4541: To reauthorize the Young Women’s Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009.
Sponsor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat · FL-25
Keep cancer screening programs from going dark
Why it matters
$235.5 million a year is on the table for federal breast and cervical cancer screening efforts from 2026 through 2030. H.R. 4541 would keep awareness campaigns running through 2031 and push the screening program to do more to help people actually get screened and follow up.
H.R. 4541 would authorize $235.5 million a year for five years to keep a federal breast and cervical cancer screening program running.
It also extends the EARLY Act through 2031, which keeps federal breast health education and awareness efforts alive for young women.
The bigger change is how the screening program works. Instead of focusing narrowly on screening, the bill broadens it to prevention, detection, and control. It also tells the program to support things that often determine whether someone gets care at all, like navigating health services, using evidence-based screening strategies in care settings, and helping people access those settings.
The bill is aimed at the gap between being eligible for screening and actually receiving it. It directs the program to reduce disparities in breast and cervical cancer outcomes, including in populations with higher-than-average rates, and to reduce barriers tied to worse health outcomes.
The bill also changes oversight. Routine reports to Congress would shift from annual to every five years, and GAO would have to deliver a separate study by September 30, 2027 on how many people are eligible, how many are being served, and what barriers may be keeping people from screening.
This does not automatically spend the money — Congress would still need to appropriate it each year.
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jul 27, 2026
Passed the House, received in Senate
H.R. 4541 Bill Summary
What H.R. 4541 actually does.
Breast health awareness continues through 2031
The bill extends the EARLY Act authorization from 2026 to 2031, keeping the federal breast health education and awareness effort in place for five more years.
Screening program gets $235.5 million a year
H.R. 4541 authorizes $235,500,000 annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.
Support goes beyond the screening itself
The program would be directed to boost screenings through health care navigation, evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies in care settings, and help accessing those settings.
Disparities become an explicit program goal
The bill tells the program to reduce disparities in breast and cervical cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, including in populations with higher-than-average rates.
Services must track current evidence
Screening and diagnostic services under the program would need to be provided consistent with relevant evidence-based recommendations.
GAO must measure who still is not being reached
By September 30, 2027, GAO must report on how many people are eligible, how many are served, and what barriers may be driving gaps in screening access.
Who benefits from H.R. 4541?
People who qualify for federal breast and cervical cancer screening help
If you rely on the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, H.R. 4541 would keep it authorized at $235.5 million a year for 2026 through 2030 while adding more emphasis on follow-up and access.
Patients who need help getting from referral to appointment
People who run into transportation, scheduling, or health-system hurdles could benefit from the bill's push for navigation and other support activities that help turn eligibility into an actual screening.
Communities with worse breast and cervical cancer outcomes
The bill specifically directs the program to reduce disparities in cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, including in populations with higher-than-average rates.
Young women reached by federal breast health campaigns
The EARLY Act extension would keep national breast health education and awareness efforts going through 2031.
Who is affected by H.R. 4541?
State, tribal, territorial, and local grantees
Organizations running these programs would need to align services with evidence-based recommendations and place more focus on navigation, access, and disparity reduction.
Federal health agencies overseeing the program
HHS and program administrators would have to carry out the broader mission and support activities laid out in H.R. 4541.
Congress and GAO
Congress would get less frequent regular reports, while GAO would take on a separate 2027 review focused on eligibility, service trends, and barriers to care.
Appropriators deciding whether the money actually flows
The bill authorizes funding, but annual spending still depends on future appropriations decisions.
Cost & Funding
Authorization
$235,500,000 per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030
- That totals about $1.18 billion over five years if Congress appropriates the full authorized amount.
- The EARLY Act portion extends the program through 2031 but does not add a separate dollar figure in the bill text provided here.
- Authorization is not automatic spending; lawmakers would still need to pass yearly funding.
What Congress Is Saying
H.R. 4541 has come up 11 times in the Congressional Record so far.
H.R. 4541 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 8 routine cosponsor filings.
HR4541 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Jul 27, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to Senate
Jul 21, 2026
Received in the Senate.
House: Vote: 394-6
Jul 20, 2026
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 394 - 6 (Roll no. 250). (text: CR H4648)
House: Committee Action
Jul 13, 2026
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-746.
House: Vote: 48-0
May 21, 2026
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 48 - 0.
House: Vote Held
May 13, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
House: Committee Action
Jul 17, 2025
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
About the Sponsor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Democrat, Florida's 25th congressional district · 21 years in Congress
Committees: Appropriations, Foreign Affairs
View full profile →
Cosponsors (20)
This bill has 20 cosponsors: 15 Democrats, 5 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 13 states: California, District of Columbia, Florida, and 10 more.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Republican · IA
Kathy Castor
Democrat · FL
Brian Fitzpatrick
Republican · PA
Debbie Dingell
Democrat · MI
Diana Harshbarger
Republican · TN
Eleanor Norton
Democrat · DC
Josh Gottheimer
Democrat · NJ
Sarah Elfreth
Democrat · MD
Daniel Goldman
Democrat · NY
Deborah Ross
Democrat · NC
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Lois Frankel
Democrat · FL
Committee Sponsors
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
0 of 23 committee members cosponsored
No committee members have cosponsored this bill
Energy and Commerce Committee
6 of 54 committee members cosponsored
31 Democrats across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 4541 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Health
- Introduced
- Jul 17, 2025
Passed the House, received in Senate
Jul 27, 2026
Official Sources
Official bill page with text, actions, cosponsors, and status for H.R. 4541.
Official CDC page for the federal screening program that H.R. 4541 reauthorizes and expands.
CDC’s young women’s breast health education campaign is the practical program connected to the EARLY Act reauthorization.
Official breast cancer information page that helps explain the awareness and education goals behind the EARLY Act portion of the bill.
Official cervical cancer information page relevant to the screening and follow-up services covered by the bill.
GAO is directed by the bill to produce a study on eligibility, service trends, and barriers to screening access.
H.R. 4541 Common Questions
How much money does H.R. 4541 authorize?
It authorizes $235,500,000 a year for fiscal years 2026 through 2030 for the federal breast and cervical cancer early detection program.
Does H.R. 4541 create a new cancer screening program?
No. It extends and updates existing federal breast health awareness and breast and cervical cancer screening programs.
What does the bill change for people trying to get screened?
It tells the program to do more than offer screening on paper. H.R. 4541 adds navigation help, support for proven screening strategies, and help accessing care settings.
Does H.R. 4541 extend the EARLY Act?
Yes. The bill extends the breast health education and awareness program from 2026 to 2031.
Who is the bill meant to reach more effectively?
It focuses on people facing barriers to screening and on populations with higher-than-average breast or cervical cancer burdens.
Does the bill require services to follow current medical guidance?
Yes. Screening and diagnostic services under the program must be consistent with relevant evidence-based recommendations.
Is the $235.5 million automatic once H.R. 4541 passes?
No. The bill authorizes the funding, but Congress would still have to approve the money in future appropriations bills.
What is GAO supposed to study under H.R. 4541?
By September 30, 2027, GAO must report on how many people are eligible, how many are served, and what barriers may be limiting access to screening.
Based on H.R. 4541 bill text
H.R. 4541 Bill Text
“To reauthorize the Young Women’s Breast Health Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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