BOISE — The U.S. Senate passed their version of an appropriations bill that includes $1 million for cancer cluster investigations under Trevor's Law.
The law is named after local cancer survivor-turned activist Trevor Schaefer who lobbied for years to eventually get a federal law passed which mandates federal assistance in potential cancer cluster concerns.
The $1 million amendment carried by Sen. Mike Crapo is designed to help the Health and Human Services Department collaborate with state agencies and local communities to investigate these cancer clusters.
"There's obvious signs of a cluster but to be able to scientifically prove it, you need the government to come in through Trevor's law and prove that. And so that's where we have been at, the communities know in their heart there is a cancer cluster but scientifically it hasn't been proven because we haven't had the funding," says Schaefer.
The appropriations bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for a vote.