[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4812 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4812

  To require the National Institutes of Health to conduct and support 
   research using human embryonic stem cells, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 12, 2004

 Mr. Deutsch introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the National Institutes of Health to conduct and support 
   research using human embryonic stem cells, and for other purposes.

    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 Discovery Through 
Diversity Act''.

SEC. 2. STEM CELL RESEARCH; REQUIREMENT REGARDING RELATION TO 
              INFERTILITY TREATMENT; DIVERSITY IN STEM CELLS.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Institutes of Health 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Director of NIH''), acting through 
the national research institutes, shall in accordance with this section 
conduct and support research using human embryonic stem cells.
    (b)  Applicability of 2000 NIH Final Guidelines.--
            (1) In general.--The Director of NIH shall ensure that 
        research under subsection (a) is conducted and supported in 
        accordance with the final guidelines regarding such research 
        that were issued by the National Institutes of Health and 
        published in the Federal Register on August 25, 2000 (65 FR 
        51976 et seq.), including--
                    (A) the requirement that human embryonic stem cells 
                used in the research be derived from human embryos that 
                were created in vitro for purposes of fertility 
                treatment and were in excess of the clinical need of 
                the individuals seeking such treatment;
                    (B) the requirement that individuals seeking such 
                treatment voluntarily donated such embryos through a 
                process of informed consent; and
                    (C) the prohibition that Federal funds may not be 
                used for the derivation of such cells from the embryos.
            (2) Certain restrictions.--Restrictions on research 
        described in subsection (a) established for the Department of 
        Health and Human Services pursuant to policies announced by the 
        President on August 9, 2001, have no legal effect on or after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Additional administrative polices.--With respect to 
        research under subsection (a), Federal administrative policies 
        in addition to the guidelines under paragraph (1) may not be 
        established or applied.
    (c) Diversity in Sources of Stem Cells.--With respect to donations 
referred to in subsection (b)(1)(B) (relating to sources of human 
embryonic stem cells), the Director of NIH shall ensure that the 
program under subsection (a) includes donations from a significant 
number of individuals who are members of racial or ethnic minority 
groups in order to make progress toward the goal (consistent with 
principles underlying the requirement under section 492B of the Public 
Health Service Act that such individuals be included as subjects in 
research) of developing an understanding of whether the variables 
studied in clinical research affect such individuals differently than 
the general population.
    (d) Report to Congress.--The Director of NIH shall annually submit 
to the Congress a report on the program of research carried out under 
subsection (a). The report shall include a description of the actions 
taken by the Director to comply with subsection (c) and a determination 
by the Director of the progress being made toward the goal described in 
such subsection.

SEC. 3. RONALD REAGAN OFFICE OF HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    The Director of NIH shall establish within the office of the 
Director an office to be known as the Ronald Reagan Office of Human 
Stem Cell Research, which shall be headed by a director appointed by 
the Director of NIH. The Office shall coordinate all research conducted 
or supported by the National Institutes of Health that uses human 
pluripotent stem cells.
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