Actions Taken On Stem Cell Legislation In Florida, Missouri
April 6, 2007 – 5:13 pm | posted in Stem Cell ResearchThe following highlights recent news about stem cell legislation.
- Florida: The Senate Health Policy Committee last week passed two bills (SB 750, SB 2496) that each would provide $20 million annually for stem cell research but differ on whether the funding could be spent on human embryonic stem cell research, the Daytona Beach News-Journal reports. One of the measures would provide money for research that could involve stem cells harvested from embryos that otherwise would be discarded following in vitro fertilization treatments. The other bill would fund research on stem cells harvested from other sources, such as umbilical cord blood, and would prohibit the money from being used for embryonic stem cell research (Saunders/Geggis, Daytona Beach News-Journal, 3/28).
- Missouri: The House Healthcare Policy Committee last week voted 5-0 to approve a joint resolution (HJR 11) that would prohibit human cloning and could largely reverse a constitutional amendment that ensures stem cell research permitted under federal law is protected in the state, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Franck, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3/28). The resolution would ban all forms of human cloning. If the resolution is approved in the House and Senate, it would go on the statewide ballot in 2008, the Kansas City Star reports (Wagar, Kansas City Star, 3/28). According to the Post-Dispatch, some opponents of the resolution attempted to propose amendments and extend debate, but committee chair Wayne Cooper (R) halted discussion, prompting opponents to leave the meeting in protest. The committee then passed the measure with only supporters present, the Post-Dispatch reports. Supporters of the measure say the vote is valid because a roll call was taken at the start of the meeting, but opponents say they plan to file an appeal with House leaders to return the bill to committee for a full vote. According to the Post-Dispatch, the bill “faces a steep uphill climb to passage” in the full House even if the committee’s vote stands. A similar measure has stalled in the Senate (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 3/28).
NPR’s “All Things Considered” on Friday reported on states that are publicly funding embryonic stem cell research. The segment includes comments from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R); Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell (R); Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of Connecticut United for Research Excellence, a consortium of biotechnology companies in the state; Susan Stayn, an attorney who works on stem cell legislation; and
Harold Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Palca, “All Things Considered,” NPR, 3/30). A partial transcript and audio of the segment are available online.
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