Texans to Vote on $3 Billion Cancer Research Initiative

A proposition on this November’s ballot in Texas will involve ear-marking $3 billion over the next 10 years to fund cancer research in Texas. The Texas Legislature passed the landmark bill in May that would create the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to dole out dollars for cancer research throughout the state.

Austin resident and cancer advocate Lance Armstrong championed the bill and testified in front of lawmakers about his and his family’s experiences with cancer. “This is one of the proudest days of my life as a Texan,” Armstrong said in a statement. “I am confident that the people of Texas will overwhelmingly choose to make Texas a worldwide leader in cancer prevention and research.”

State-funded research is now becoming the norm as the national budget for cancer research has been shrinking in recent years. Some states, such as California with its Cancer Research Program, have already enacted legislation to provide cancer funds. North Carolina legislators stepped up their cancer efforts before adjourning in August with a vote to invest $50 million annually by 2009 for cancer research directed at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.