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Rep. Johnson presents resolution designating May 2026 as Skin Cancer Awareness Month
Summary
Rep. Johnson asked the House to designate May 2026 as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, citing high incidence of skin cancer, the role of early detection in melanoma outcomes and planned outreach by UAMS students and dermatology groups; the transcript does not record a final roll-call vote.
Rep. Johnson introduced House Resolution 10 21 on the House floor, asking members to designate May 2026 as Skin Cancer Awareness Month and to support outreach by dermatology trainees and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences students.
"Members, I think all of us at some point have had our lives touched by cancer," Rep. Johnson said, adding that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and "one of the most preventable." He highlighted melanoma's improved outcomes with early detection, saying it "has a 99 percent cure rate with early detection." The resolution text recites incidence and cost figures, including an estimate that 234,680 new melanoma cases will be diagnosed in 2026 and that the annual cost of treating skin cancer in the United States is approximately $8.1 billion.
The resolution references the Arkansas Dermatology Society, a state dermatology trainee advocacy organization, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Dermatology as participants in outreach. Rep. Johnson said dermatology students present at the Capitol would hand out information on skin-cancer awareness and prevention.
The clerk read the resolution's findings at length, citing that "1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime" and providing estimates on treatment costs and melanoma mortality cited in the resolution text. Rep. Johnson closed by asking members to give the resolution a "good vote." The transcript does not record a subsequent motion or roll-call tally for the resolution.
