[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 723 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 723

 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic 
                   stem cell generation and research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 5, 2001

  Mr. Specter (for himself, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Chafee, Mr. 
Smith of Oregon, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Reid, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
  Corzine, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Inouye) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic 
                   stem cell generation and research.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Stem Cell Research Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL GENERATION AND RESEARCH.

    Part H of the Title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 
289 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 498B the following:

``SEC. 498C. HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL GENERATION AND RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary may only conduct, support, or fund research on human embryos 
for the purpose of generating embryonic stem cells and utilizing stem 
cells that have been derived from embryos in accordance with this 
section.
    ``(b) Sources of Embryonic Stem Cells.--For purposes of carrying 
out research under subsection (a), the human embryonic stem cells 
involved shall be derived only from embryos that have been donated from 
in-vitro fertilization clinics after compliance with the following:
            ``(1) Prior to the consideration of embryo donation and 
        through consultation with the progenitors, it is determined 
        that the embryos will never be implanted in a woman and would 
        otherwise be discarded.
            ``(2) The embryos are donated with the written informed 
        consent of the progenitors.
    ``(c) Restrictions.--
            ``(1) In general.--The following restriction shall apply 
        with respect to human embryonic stem cell research conducted or 
        supported under subsection (a):
                    ``(A) The research involved shall not result in the 
                creation of human embryos.
                    ``(B) The research involved shall not result in the 
                reproductive cloning of a human being.
            ``(2) Prohibition.--
                    ``(A) In general.--It shall be unlawful for any 
                person receiving Federal funds to knowingly acquire, 
                receive, or otherwise transfer any human embryos for 
                valuable consideration if the acquisition, receipt, or 
                transfer affects interstate commerce.
                    ``(B) Definition.--In subparagraph (A), the term 
                `valuable consideration' does not include reasonable 
                payments associated with transportation, 
                transplantation, processing, preservation, quality 
                control, or storage.
    ``(d) Guidelines.--The Secretary, in conjunction with the Director 
of the National Institutes of Health, shall issue guidelines that 
expand on the rules governing human embryonic stem cell research (as in 
effect on the date of enactment of this section) to include rules that 
govern the derivation of stem cells from donated embryos under this 
section.
    ``(e) Reporting Requirements..--The Secretary shall annually 
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
describing the activities carried out under this section during the 
preceding fiscal year, and including a description of whether and to 
what extent research under subsection (a) has been conducted in 
accordance with this section.''.
                                 <all>