On Wednesday, rock star Sheryl Crow stirred up Capitol Hill as she appeared to lobby for breast cancer research legislation.

The Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act, first introduced in 2000, authorizes $40 million a year to be spent on studying the link between breast cancer and environmental influences. The bill was roadblocked last year when Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla) put a hold on the legislation. His criticism of the bill is that the bill would take control from researchers and give it to politicians, and that the National Institute of Health already has $100 million per year to spend on breast cancer research.

Obviously Sheryl Crow and other politicians disagree, citing examples such as New York, where there are higher incidences of breast cancer in certain zip codes than others and the fact that native Alaskan women have higher incidences of the disease than other ethnic groups. Whether the rocker's star power had any influence or not, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowed the bill would pass this year.