Whereas sickle cell disease (referred to in this preamble as SCD ) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders, a genetic condition present at birth, and a major health problem in the United States and worldwide; Whereas the 2023 theme of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, Shine the Light on Sickle Cell , is an immediate call to action to improve the health and quality of life for individuals living with SCD and their families; Whereas, in 1972, Dr. Charles Whitten established the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America to improve research, education, and health care for SCD patients and which is now headquartered in Hanover, Maryland; Whereas, in 1972, Congress passed the National Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act ( Public Law 92–294 ; 86 Stat. 136), which, for the first time, provided authority to establish education, information, screening, testing, counseling, research, and treatment programs for SCD; Whereas sickle cell trait (referred to in this preamble as SCT ) is a gene mutation that causes a single misspelling in the DNA instructions for hemoglobin, a protein that aids in carrying oxygen in the blood, and results in chronic complications, including anemia, stroke, infections, organ failure, tissue damage, intense periods of pain referred to as vaso-occulsive crises, and even premature death in individuals living with SCD; Whereas SCT occurs when an individual inherits 1 copy of the sickle cell gene from 1 parent, and, when both parents have SCT, there is a 25 percent chance that any of their children will have SCD; Whereas there are an estimated 3,000,000 individuals with SCT in the United States, with many unaware of their status; Whereas an estimated 100,000 individuals have SCD in the United States, with 1 out of every 365 African-American births and 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births resulting in SCD, and nearly 1 out of 13 African-American babies are born with SCT