[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 166 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 166

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should 
not infringe on State or private programs that fund embryonic stem cell 
                               research.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 24, 2005

  Mr. Israel submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should 
not infringe on State or private programs that fund embryonic stem cell 
                               research.

Whereas embryonic stem cell research offers hope to millions of people afflicted 
        with a number of diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's 
        disease, childhood leukemia, heart disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, 
        diabetes, several cancers, spinal cord injuries, and other diseases, 
        disorders, and injuries;
Whereas the general consensus in the scientific community is that there should 
        be research in both areas of stem cells, embryonic and adult;
Whereas the scientific community believes that embryonic stem cells offer many 
        advancements because of their ability to develop into virtually every 
        type of cell in the human body, that embryonic stems cells represent the 
        best tool for understanding the mechanism of disease, and that adult 
        stem cells do not have the breadth of ability to become virtually every 
        cell;
Whereas on August 9, 2001, President Bush announced that embryonic stem cell 
        research would be limited, and he limited Federal funds and limited 
        eligible lines for research;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health reports that of the 78 lines eligible 
        for research using Federal funding, less than one-third are available 
        for distribution;
Whereas since the President's announcement, at least 128 additional lines have 
        been created, 75 of which were created outside the United States;
Whereas the United States has been at the forefront of cutting edge research and 
        biotechnology;
Whereas young scientists have opted to go into different fields due to funding 
        restrictions, the politicization of the issue, and the possible 
        criminalization of the research, leaving millions of Americans without 
        the hope of finding cures;
Whereas reproductive cloning is fundamentally different than cellular cloning, 
        which uses somatic cell nuclear transfer technology to create stem cells 
        using DNA of the patient so the new cells are not rejected by the 
        patient;
Whereas a bill, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act, has passed the House of 
        Representatives twice and could have the effect of making somatic cell 
        nuclear transfer technology illegal;
Whereas a Federal prohibition on embryonic stem cell research and cures could 
        impede upon the rights of States to operate and fund embryonic stem cell 
        research;
Whereas on November 2, 2004, the people of California affirmatively voted on 
        Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative, 
        which created a State-operated, $3 billion program to fund stem cell 
        research known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine; 
        and
Whereas some established research foundations and institutions in the United 
        States have decided to develop additional human embryonic stem cell 
        lines using private funding: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that the Federal Government should 
not infringe on State or private programs that fund embryonic stem cell 
research.
                                 <all>