POPCaP Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4993 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4993

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a precision
   oncology program for cancer of the prostate at the Department of
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 2026

   Mr. Moran introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
             referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a precision
   oncology program for cancer of the prostate at the Department of
               Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Precision Oncology Program for
Cancer of the Prostate Authorization Act of 2026'' or the ``POPCaP Act
of 2026''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF PRECISION ONCOLOGY PROGRAM FOR CANCER OF THE
              PROSTATE.

    (a) Establishment of Program.--
            (1) In general.--Subchapter II of chapter 73 of title 38,
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
        following new section:
``Sec. 7330E. Precision oncology program for cancer of the prostate
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the
Department a precision oncology program for cancer of the prostate in
accordance with this section (in this section referred to as the
`Program').
    ``(b) Eligibility.--A veteran is eligible to participate in the
Program if the veteran has a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
    ``(c) Centers of Excellence.--
            ``(1) Designation of centers.--Effective on the date of the
        enactment of this section, the Secretary shall designate the
        following medical facilities of the Department as provisional
        centers of excellence for the Program:
                    ``(A) The Seattle VA Medical Center, Seattle,
                Washington.
                    ``(B) The James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx,
                New York.
                    ``(C) The Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA
                Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
                    ``(D) The Margaret Cochran Corbin Manhattan VA
                Medical Center, Manhattan, New York.
                    ``(E) The Jesse Brown Department of Veterans
                Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.
                    ``(F) The West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Los
                Angeles, California.
                    ``(G) The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical
                Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
                    ``(H) The Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North
                Carolina.
                    ``(I) The Washington DC VA Medical Center,
                Washington, District of Columbia.
                    ``(J) The James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa,
                Florida.
                    ``(K) The Portland VA Medical Center, Portland,
                Oregon.
                    ``(L) The Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center, Boston,
                Massachusetts.
                    ``(M) The San Francisco VA Medical Center, San
                Francisco, California.
                    ``(N) The Michael E. DeBakey Department of Veterans
                Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas.
                    ``(O) The Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical
                Center, Aurora, Colorado.
                    ``(P) The John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital, St.
                Louis, Missouri.
                    ``(Q) The Kansas City VA Medical Center, Kansas
                City, Missouri.
                    ``(R) The Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA Medical
                Center, Decatur, Georgia.
                    ``(S) The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center,
                Charleston, South Carolina.
                    ``(T) The Orlando VA Medical Center, Orlando,
                Florida.
                    ``(U) The Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore,
                Maryland.
                    ``(V) The John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans'
                Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas.
                    ``(W) The William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans
                Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin.
                    ``(X) The Minneapolis VA Medical Center,
                Minneapolis, Minnesota.
                    ``(Y) The George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans
                Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah.
                    ``(Z) The Carl T. Hayden Veterans' Administration
                Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
                    ``(AA) The Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
                    ``(BB) The Malcom Randall Department of Veterans
                Affairs Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida.
            ``(2) Operational requirements.--
                    ``(A) Minimum number of centers.--The Secretary
                shall ensure that, at all times, not fewer than 21
                medical facilities of the Department are designated and
                operating as centers of excellence under the Program,
                with not fewer than one center maintained in each
                Veterans Integrated Service Network.
                    ``(B) Duration of secretarial designation.--Subject
                to paragraph (3), each center designated under this
                section shall be so designated for a period of not less
                than five years.
            ``(3) Additional designations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may designate
                medical facilities as centers of excellence in addition
                to those designated under paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Protection of initial centers.--For purposes
                of complying with the minimum number of designated
                centers of excellence requirement under paragraph (2),
                the Secretary shall count toward such minimum number
                any medical facilities designated pursuant to paragraph
                (1) and not terminated under paragraph (4).
            ``(4) Termination of designation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Beginning not earlier than
                January 1, 2030, the Secretary may terminate the
                designation of a medical facility as a center of
                excellence under the Program if the Secretary
                determines the facility is failing to serve the
                purposes of the Program required by this section.
                    ``(B) Process.--The Secretary--
                            ``(i) before terminating a designation
                        under subparagraph (A), shall submit to the
                        Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the
                        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and
                        the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the
                        Committee on Appropriations of the House of
                        Representatives a notice of the intent to
                        terminate the designation; and
                            ``(ii) may not terminate the designation
                        until the date that is 60 days after the date
                        of the submission of such notice.
            ``(5) Performance reviews.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Beginning in 2030, the Secretary
                shall conduct reviews of the performance of the centers
                of excellence designated under the Program.
                    ``(B) Rolling cycle.--In carrying out subparagraph
                (A), the Secretary shall ensure that--
                            ``(i) in 2030 and each year thereafter, the
                        Secretary reviews and makes a determination on
                        not more than seven centers;
                            ``(ii) the centers selected for review in
                        any given year constitute a class of centers
                        distinct from the classes reviewed in the
                        preceding four years; and
                            ``(iii) not later than the date of the
                        submission of the fifth annual report under
                        subsection (f) following the initial conduct of
                        reviews under this paragraph, and not later
                        than every fifth year thereafter, every center
                        operating under the Program has been reviewed.
                    ``(C) Scope of review.--Each review of a center
                under this paragraph shall assess whether the
                performance of the center in providing the services
                required under this section is adequate to justify the
                continued designation of the center as a center of
                excellence under the Program.
    ``(d) Activities and Staffing of Centers.--
            ``(1) Activities.--Each center designated under subsection
        (c) shall carry out the following activities:
                    ``(A) Establishing a program of genetic sequencing
                for veterans with advanced prostate cancer.
                    ``(B) Instituting a uniform genetic sequencing
                platform to allow for coordination across all centers.
                    ``(C) Participating in the telemedicine tumor board
                of the Program.
                    ``(D) Participating in the registry study of the
                Program to track mutations.
                    ``(E) Providing travel support to veterans with
                mutations to facilitate access to studies.
                    ``(F) Developing clinical trials that are biomarker
                specific.
                    ``(G) Participating in industry-sponsored precision
                oncology studies.
                    ``(H) Participating in monthly calls and not less
                than three in-person meetings per year with the Program
                Leadership team established under subsection (e) to
                assess progress.
                    ``(I) Providing ongoing reporting to the Program
                Leadership team regarding trial accruals and research
                conducted by investigators of the Department with
                limited experience who are undergoing mentorship.
                    ``(J) Establishing metastasis biopsy capability.
                    ``(K) Extending resources to affiliated centers in
                the Veterans Integrated Service Network in which the
                center is located.
            ``(2) Staffing.--The Secretary shall ensure that each
        center designated under subsection (c) employs, at a minimum--
                    ``(A) a medical oncologist;
                    ``(B) an interventional radiologist;
                    ``(C) a urologist;
                    ``(D) a radiation oncologist;
                    ``(E) a pathologist; and
                    ``(F) two full-time equivalent research staff
                members.
    ``(e) Program Leadership.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a Program
        Leadership team located at the medical facility designated
        under subsection (c)(1)(A) (in this section referred to as the
        `Program Leadership team').
            ``(2) Composition.--The Program Leadership team shall
        include, at a minimum, an Executive Director, a Clinical
        Director, and a Research Director.
            ``(3) Duties.--The Program Leadership team shall be
        responsible for--
                    ``(A) providing strategic liaison services with
                industry to ensure engagement by the Department with
                study design and participation;
                    ``(B) coordinating participation by the Department
                in prostate cancer group studies sponsored by the
                National Cancer Institute;
                    ``(C) facilitating the development of study
                concepts, design, and start-up with investigators of
                the Department with limited experience who are
                undergoing mentorship;
                    ``(D) creating and executing a model for hybrid
                decentralized clinical trials, including remote
                research coordination, regulatory start-up and
                maintenance, data management, and approval by an
                institutional review board;
                    ``(E) creating and maintaining a prostate cancer
                registry and data repository of the Department; and
                    ``(F) maintaining relevant working groups to bring
                together expertise of the Department from across the
                country.
            ``(4) Specific responsibilities.--
                    ``(A) Executive director.--The Executive Director
                of the Program Leadership team shall--
                            ``(i) provide administrative leadership to
                        the Program network in partnership with the
                        Clinical Director;
                            ``(ii) maintain responsibility for the
                        development, execution, and monitoring of the
                        national strategic plan of the Program; and
                            ``(iii) serve as the liaison to the
                        executive steering committee and other
                        leadership of the Department and centers of
                        excellence.
                    ``(B) Clinical director.--The Clinical Director of
                the Program Leadership team shall--
                            ``(i) oversee the Program network to ensure
                        eligible veterans receive access to care based
                        on the latest research;
                            ``(ii) maintain responsibility for the
                        development and implementation of strategies
                        for program growth, quality improvement, and
                        patient satisfaction;
                            ``(iii) serve on the review committee of
                        the Program for clinical trials to ensure
                        studies are conducted ethically and
                        efficiently; and
                            ``(iv) serve as the liaison with
                        stakeholders to integrate clinical services and
                        research.
                    ``(C) Research director.--The Research Director of
                the Program Leadership team shall--
                            ``(i) provide leadership on national
                        research objectives;
                            ``(ii) serve on committees to review new
                        research concepts and projects in the Program
                        network;
                            ``(iii) maintain a deep understanding of
                        current research and emerging technologies in
                        prostate cancer; and
                            ``(iv) interact with stakeholders,
                        including regulatory agencies, industry
                        partners, and research institutions, to improve
                        prostate cancer research within the Department.
    ``(f) Annual Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than March 1 of each year, the
        Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
        and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the
        Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report on the
        Program.
            ``(2) Elements.--Each report submitted under paragraph (1)
        shall include, with respect to the period covered by the
        report, the following:
                    ``(A) The funding levels for each center of
                excellent designated under the Program;
                    ``(B) The number of veterans served by the Program;
                    ``(C) The number of investigators and providers
                participating in the Program network;
                    ``(D) The number of publications by providers of
                the Department relating to prostate cancer;
                    ``(E) The number of clinical research studies
                supported by the network;
                    ``(F) The number of veterans enrolled in such
                clinical research studies;
                    ``(G) The five-year survival rate of veterans
                enrolled in clinical research studies of the Program
                compared to other veterans and civilians with prostate
                cancer; and
                    ``(H) The outcomes and survival data for veterans
                served at dedicated genitourinary centers under the
                Program compared to that of other veterans and
                civilians served at other centers of excellence under
                the Program.
            ``(3) Comprehensive plan.--The Secretary shall include in
        the report submitted under paragraph (1) in 2029, a
        comprehensive plan for the designation and operation of the
        centers of excellence under subsection (c)(2)(A), including a
        timeline for center evaluations, performance criteria to be
        utilized in evaluations, and center selection process.
            ``(4) Performance review findings.--Beginning with the
        report submitted under paragraph (1) in 2031, and all
        subsequent such reports, the Secretary shall include results of
        the performance reviews conducted pursuant to subsection
        (c)(5), including a determination by the Secretary regarding
        whether the results of such review for each center justifies
        continued designation as a center of excellence.
            ``(5) Forecast.--Each report submitted under paragraph (1)
        shall include forecasts of the matter described in paragraph
        (1)(A) for the upcoming review period.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the
        beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
        item relating to section 7330D the following new item:

``7330E. Precision oncology program for cancer of the prostate.''.
    (b) Establishment, Designation, and Operation.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
        establish the program required under section 7330E of title 38,
        United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), including
        the designation of program leadership under subsection (e) of
        such section and the designation and operation of the centers
        of excellence under subsection (c) of such section, by not
        later than January 1, 2027.
            (2) Terms and conditions.--The designation and operation of
        the centers of excellence described in paragraph (1) shall be
        conducted under the same terms and conditions and in the same
        manner as those centers were designated and operated on January
        1, 2023.
    (c) Implementation Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
        shall submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the
        Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on
        Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the
        House of Representatives a plan for the implementation of
        section 7330E of title 38, United States Code, as added by
        subsection (a)(1).
            (2) Elements.--The plan required by paragraph (1) shall
        include--
                    (A) an assessment of staffing required at each
                center of excellence designated under section 7330E(c)
                of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection
                (a)(1);
                    (B) an identification of contracting requirements;
                    (C) a plan for sequencing platform selection;
                    (D) a plan for registry creation;
                    (E) a plan for coordination with a central
                institutional review board; and
                    (F) an identification of anticipated funding levels
                for the 10-year period beginning on the date of the
                submittal of the plan.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out section
7330E of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1),
$15,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029.
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