WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women combined; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers that can be prevented with timely screening, but one in three eligible Americans are not up to date on screening; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men and women under 50 years of age; and

WHEREAS, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Black Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and more likely to die from the disease than other groups; and

WHEREAS, Colorectal cancer is expected to account for 12 percent of cancer deaths among Hispanic men and 9 percent of cancer deaths among Hispanic women; and

WHEREAS, Americans in rural areas are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from colorectal cancer than Americans in urban areas; and

WHEREAS, In 2024, there were approximately 152,810 new cases of, and 53,010 deaths from, colorectal cancer; and

WHEREAS, The national goal established by the American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable is to strive to increase timely colorectal cancer screening rates to 80 percent in every community for all Americans eligible for screening; and

WHEREAS, Observing a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during the month of March would provide a special opportunity to increase awareness and offer education on the importance of early detection and screening of colorectal cancer; now, therefore, be it