[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 29037]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             STEM CELL THERAPEUTIC AND RESEARCH ACT of 2005

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 256, H.R. 2520, 
the cord blood stem cell bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (H.R. 2520) to provide for the collection and 
     maintenance of human cord blood stem cells for the treatment 
     of patients and research, and to amend the Public Health 
     Service Act to authorize the C.W. Bill Young Cell 
     Transplantation Program.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment 
at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be read a third time 
and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that 
any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 2688) was agreed to.
  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  The bill (H.R. 2520), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, this bill, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and 
Research Act of 2005, is a hugely important bill that is now passed 
and, once signed by the President, will save lives.
  There is amazing, remarkable work with these cord blood transplants. 
Cord blood is basically blood cells that are gathered from the placenta 
after birth.
  The power of these cells is truly remarkable, as we treat diseases 
such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and a range of very rare genetic 
disorders.
  This bill establishes a registry of about 150,000 units initially all 
over the country that people will be able to access instantaneously in 
order to have this tissue that will bring, literally, lifesaving 
therapy to individuals who are currently waiting for transplants. So it 
is with a great deal of pride that we pass this particular bill in the 
Senate.

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