Congressman Nick Langworthy joined leaders from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, pediatric cancer advocates, and local families to mark the passage of the Give Kids a Chance Act on May 8. The bipartisan legislation was signed into law earlier this year as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026.
The new law is intended to strengthen research and development for rare pediatric diseases and childhood cancers. It expands the Food and Drug Administration’s authority to support innovative pediatric drug development, reauthorizes the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher Program, and increases accountability for companies conducting pediatric studies.
“As a father, I cannot imagine what parents of children battling cancer are going through,” said Congressman Langworthy. “The fear, the uncertainty, and the helplessness those families carry every single day is something no parent should ever have to experience. That’s why I was proud to throw my full support behind the Give Kids a Chance Act. This law helps deliver hope to families by expanding research opportunities, encouraging investment in pediatric treatments, and helping more children gain access to cutting-edge therapies. We will not rest until we find better treatments, better outcomes, and ultimately cures.”
Langworthy serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee as well as its Health Subcommittee. He has focused on combating pediatric illness during his time in Congress by supporting measures such as expanded newborn screening for Krabbe disease. The Give Kids a Chance Act allows the FDA to require or permit studies of new pediatric cancer drugs in combination with already approved therapies so that children are included in drug development processes.
“For families facing childhood cancer, research is not abstract—it is how our physicians at Roswell Park offer the best therapies to our patients,” said Kara Kelly, MD, Chair of the Roswell Park Golisano Children’s Buffalo Cancer and Blood Disorders Program and Waldemar J. Kaminski Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The Give Kids a Chance Act helps ensure that promising cancer therapies are tested and developed specifically for children and that kids are not left behind by a system built for adults. This kind of legislation is essential to delivering faster, safer, and more effective treatments for kids, directly helping our Western New York community.”
Langworthy concluded: “This legislation represents meaningful progress for children facing some of the toughest diagnoses imaginable. For too long, families dealing with rare pediatric diseases have had limited options and far too much waiting. Today sends a message that we are continuing to invest in innovation, research, and hope.”
Langworthy emphasizes constituent service efforts within his district; he also played key roles in airline safety reforms through previous legislative work such as upholding measures in the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024; he draws on family roots from Jamestown while serving New York’s 23rd Congressional District since his election in 2022; these details appear on the official website.
