[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1569-E1570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCING H.R. 6081, THE STEM CELL THERAPEUTIC AND RESEARCH 
                      REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 10, 2010

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Madam Speaker, today, I along with 
Congresswoman Matsui, introduced H.R. 6081, the Stem Cell Therapeutic 
and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010. This important bipartisan 
legislation will reauthorize for five years the National Marrow Donor 
Program (NMDP) and the National Cord Blood Inventory Program. These 
lifesaving programs are set to expire on September 30th, so it is my 
hope that the Congress takes up and passes this legislation quickly. In 
drafting H.R. 6081, Congresswoman Matsui and I worked with Senator 
Hatch who has introduced the Senate version of this measure along with 
Senators Dodd, Burr, Reed, Ensign, and Franken.
  Specifically, the legislation would:
  Recognize that medical consensus supports a national inventory of 
more than 150,000 cord blood units by modifying the national goal;
  Extend the term of initial and contract extensions from three to five 
years, making it easier for banks to engage in long-term relationship 
building with birthing hospitals;
  Require cord blood banks to establish a plan for increasing cord 
blood unit collections and/or expand the number of collection sites 
with which they work;
  Require cord blood banks to provide a plan for becoming self-
sufficient, a core tenant of the original authorizing legislation;
  Clarify the minimum timeframe for maintaining NCBI cord blood units 
on the National Registry;
  Correct the definition of ``first-degree relative'';
  Authorize $23 millions for FY 2011 through FY 2014 and $20 million 
for FY 2015 for the NCBI (when combined with the funding levels for the 
Program, the overall bill does not increase federal spending);
  Allow HRSA to allocate funds appropriated in one year in the 
following year, as needed, for both the Program and the NCBI;
   Update the annual reporting requirements for the Program;
  Enhance the studies, demonstration programs, and outreach projects 
related to cord blood donation and collection to include exploring 
innovative technologies, novel approaches, and expanding the number of 
collection sites;
  Update the confidentiality language that applies to adult donors to 
make it consistent with the requirements for cord blood donors and 
existing federal and state privacy laws;
  Authorize $30 million for FY 2011 through FY 2014 and $33 million for 
FY 2015 for the Program (when combined with the funding levels for the 
NCBI, the overall bill does not increase federal spending);
  Require a GAO report due one year after enactment to review studies, 
demonstration programs, and outreach efforts for the purpose of 
increasing cord blood unit donation and collection for the NCBI to 
ensure high-quality and genetically diverse inventory of cord blood 
units.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to enter into the record a letter from 
the CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program, Jeffrey Chell, M.D., 
urging us to approve this legislation prior to September 30th. When the 
Congress originally created the NMDP in 1986, some thought we would 
only be able to register 50,000 eligible donors. Since that time, the 
NMDP has added over 8 million eligible donors to the national registry 
and has performed over 40,000 transplants. This program has exceeded 
expectations and saved thousands of lives throughout the years. H.R. 
6081 has bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate, and I 
urge my colleagues to support its adoption to reauthorize the NMDP. It 
is truly a life saving program and this legislation will ensure that it 
continues without disruption.

                                                   August 9, 2010.
     Re Reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell 
         Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood 
         Inventory

     Hon. C.W. Bill Young,
     Hon. Doris Matsui,
     House of Representatives, U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives: I am writing on behalf of the 
     National Marrow Donor Program to convey our strong support of 
     the reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell 
     Transplantation Program (Program) and the National Cord Blood 
     Inventory (NCBI). We applaud the efforts of Congressman Young 
     and Congresswoman Matsui in introducing today's legislation 
     and the continued bipartisan support for these life-saving 
     programs. We especially want to thank their staff for their 
     continued efforts. Because the NCBI sunsets at the end of the 
     fiscal year, we encourage the Congress to support passage of 
     this important legislation before October 1.
       Every year approximately 12,000 patients search the 
     national registry for a life-saving donor or cord blood unit. 
     To ensure that all patients have access to these types of 
     adult stem cell transplants, Congress must maintain its 
     support of the Program and the NCBI. We commend the 
     dedication of Reps. Young and Matsui, along with Senators 
     Hatch, Dodd, Burr, Reed, Ensign, and Franken who introduced 
     legislation in the Senate last week. Their hard work has 
     resulted in a bipartisan and fiscally responsible bill, which 
     will assist the NMDP in advancing our life-saving mission.
       The reauthorization maintains important components of the 
     existing programs, including a single point of access and a 
     focus on building a diverse registry of adult donors and cord 
     blood units. It also includes modifications necessary to 
     continue the successful work of these programs.
       The NMDP is dedicated to creating an opportunity for all 
     patients to receive the transplant therapy they need, when 
     they need it. Through a competitive process, the

[[Page E1570]]

     NMDP has been entrusted to operate the Program since its 
     inception in the mid-1980s. Every day, this Program assists 
     thousands of patients with leukemia, certain lymphomas, and 
     other life-threatening diseases find a matching donor or 
     umbilical cord blood unit. For many of these patients, a 
     transplant may be the best and only hope for a cure. NMDP has 
     facilitated more than 40,000 transplants. This accomplishment 
     would not have been possible without the ongoing sustained 
     support of Congress and its efforts to increase unrelated 
     transplants in the United States.
       We look forward to working with the Congress, our network 
     partners in the transplant community including, physicians, 
     cord blood bankers, donors, and the patients and families 
     they serve. On their behalf, we thank you for continued 
     support of cellular transplantation and stand ready to 
     support your efforts for successful passage of this act this 
     year.
           Sincerely,

                                          Jeffrey Chell, M.D.,

                                          Chief Executive Officer,
                                    National Marrow Donor Program.
                                  ____
                                  
                                                   National Marrow


                                                Donor Program,

                                                   August 9, 2010.
     Re Reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell 
       Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood 
       Inventory.

     Hon. C.W. Bill Young,
     Hon. Doris Matsui,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives: I am writing on behalf of the 
     National Marrow Donor Program to convey our strong support of 
     the reauthorization of the C.W. Bill Young Cell 
     Transplantation Program (Program) and the National Cord Blood 
     Inventory (NCBI). We applaud the efforts of Congressman Young 
     and Congresswoman Matsui in introducing today's legislation 
     and the continued bipartisan support for these life-saving 
     programs. We especially want to thank their staff for their 
     continued efforts. Because the NCBI sunsets at the end of the 
     fiscal year, we encourage the Congress to support passage of 
     this important legislation before October 1.
       Every year approximately 12,000 patients search the 
     national registry for a life-saving donor or cord blood unit. 
     To ensure that all patients have access to these types of 
     adult stem cell transplants, Congress must maintain its 
     support of the Program and the NCBI. We commend the 
     dedication of Reps. Young and Matsui, along with Senators 
     Hatch, Dodd, Burr, Reed, Ensign, and Franken who introduced 
     legislation in the Senate last week. Their hard work has 
     resulted in a bipartisan and fiscally responsible bill, which 
     will assist the NMDP in advancing our life-saving mission.
       The reauthorization maintains important components of the 
     existing programs, including a single point of access and a 
     focus on building a diverse registry of adult donors and cord 
     blood units. It also includes modifications necessary to 
     continue the successful work of these programs.
       The NMDP is dedicated to creating an opportunity for all 
     patients to receive the transplant therapy they need, when 
     they need it. Through a competitive process, the NMDP has 
     been entrusted to operate the Program since its inception in 
     the mid-1980s. Every day, this Program assists thousands of 
     patients with leukemia, certain lymphomas, and other life-
     threatening diseases find a matching donor or umbilical cord 
     blood unit. For many of these patients, a transplant may be 
     the best and only hope for a cure. NMDP has facilitated more 
     than 40,000 transplants. This accomplishment would not have 
     been possible without the ongoing sustained support of 
     Congress and its efforts to increase unrelated transplants in 
     the United States.
       We look forward to working with the Congress, our network 
     partners in the transplant community including, physicians, 
     cord blood bankers, donors, and the patients and families 
     they serve. On their behalf, we thank you for continued 
     support of cellular transplantation and stand ready to 
     support your efforts for successful passage of this act this 
     year.
           Sincerely,
                                              Jeffrey Chell, M.D.,
     Chief Executive Officer.

                          ____________________