[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2754 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2754

 To derive human pluripotent stem cell lines using techniques that do 
                      not knowingly harm embryos.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 5, 2006

  Mr. Santorum (for himself and Mr. Specter) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To derive human pluripotent stem cell lines using techniques that do 
                      not knowingly harm embryos.

    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 ``Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell 
Therapies Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) intensify research that may result in improved 
        understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse 
        health conditions; and
            (2) promote the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines, 
        including from postnatal sources, without creating human 
        embryos for research purposes or discarding, destroying, or 
        knowingly harming a human embryo or fetus.

SEC. 3. ALTERNATIVE HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 284 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 498C the following:

``SEC. 409J. ALTERNATIVE HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--In accordance with section 492, the Secretary 
shall conduct and support basic and applied research to develop 
techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of 
stem cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of producing 
all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body and may 
result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and 
other adverse health conditions, but are not derived from a human 
embryo.
    ``(b) Guidelines.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary, after consultation with the 
Director, shall issue final guidelines to implement subsection (a), 
that--
            ``(1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required 
        for additional research, which shall include a determination of 
        the extent to which specific techniques may require additional 
        basic or animal research to ensure that any research involving 
        human cells using these techniques would clearly be consistent 
        with the standards established under this section;
            ``(2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for 
        near-term clinical benefit; and
            ``(3) consistent with subsection (a), take into account 
        techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and 
        any other appropriate techniques and research.
    ``(c) Reporting Requirements.--Not later than January 1 of each 
year, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate 
committees of the Congress a report describing the activities carried 
out under this section during the fiscal year, including a description 
of the research conducted under this section.
    ``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed to affect any policy, guideline, or regulation regarding 
embryonic stem cell research, human cloning by somatic cell nuclear 
transfer, or any other research not specifically authorized by this 
section.
    ``(e) Definition.--
            ``(1) In general.--In this section, the term `human embryo' 
        shall have the meaning given such term in the applicable 
        appropriations Act.
            ``(2) Applicable act.--For purposes of paragraph (1), the 
        term `applicable appropriations Act' means, with respect to the 
        fiscal year in which research is to be conducted or supported 
        under this section, the Act making appropriations for the 
        Department of Health and Human Services for such fiscal year, 
        except that if the Act for such fiscal year does not contain 
        the term referred to in paragraph (1), the Act for the previous 
        fiscal year shall be deemed to be the applicable appropriations 
        Act.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2007 through 2009, to carry out this section.''.
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