[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H3022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      ANNIVERSARY OF H.R. 810, STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT

  (Ms. DeGETTE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, nearly 1 year ago today, we witnessed a 
truly historic event on the floor of this House: Members of Congress 
from both sides of the aisle joining together to put patients first by 
passing H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.
  Two months later we were further encouraged when the majority leader 
of the other body announced his support for our bill. At that point, it 
appeared that the hopes of so many patients and caregivers would 
finally be realized as this critically important research would obtain 
the funding necessary to reach its true potential. Unfortunately, Mr. 
Speaker, that is the last we heard of this bill; 364 days after passage 
of the bill in the House, the other body remains silent. They have 
proceeded to work on numerous other bills, including the designation of 
46 post offices, but they have refused to put patients first.
  In the meantime, in the last year, 1.5 million people have been 
diagnosed with diabetes; 55,000 were diagnosed with Parkinson's; and 
8,700 with multiple sclerosis.
  It is time for the other body to put patients first and pass H.R. 
810.

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