Search Our Health Library:
|
|
|
Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report Highlights Issues In Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan
The following highlights recent news of state actions on women's health issues.
Stem Cell Research
- Michigan: The state House on Thursday voted 68-37 to pass a bill (HB 6292) that would provide a tax incentive for people who donate money to an umbilical cord blood stem cell bank, the AP/WOODTV8 reports. Under the legislation, people who donate money to the banks could receive tax credits of up to $100 for an individual or $200 for a joint return. Supporters say the legislation could encourage development of umbilical cord and adult stem cell research, leading to treatment of many terminal illnesses. Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) does not support the legislation, her spokesperson Liz Boyd said. According to the AP/WOODTV8, Granholm and some Democrats in the state Legislature want to reduce restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, which led to some opposition to the umbilical cord blood bill, along with the potential cost of the measure. "The cost is excessive with little payback," Boyd said in a written statement, adding, "Cord blood cells are helpful, but nowhere to the extent of stem cell research. In these tough budget times, we have to get the most bang for our buck, and this doesn't meet that test" (AP/ WOODTV8, 12/15).
- New Jersey: State lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill (S 1471) that would allow the state to borrow $270 million for the expansion of human embryonic stem cell research and facilities in the state, the New York Times reports (Chen, New York Times, 12/15). The measure -- approved 29-10 by the state Senate in May and sponsored by Senate President Richard Codey (D) -- would provide $50 million for a stem cell research center in Camden, $50 million for an adult stem cell research center in Newark and $150 million for a research facility in New Brunswick (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 12/5). The legislation also would allocate $10 million to the Garden State Cancer Center in Belleville and $10 million to the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program in Allendale, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports. Gov. Jon Corzine (D) on Thursday said that he looks forward to signing the bill, which allows the state to utilize its unused bonding capacity. The legislation is a "tremendous opportunity" for New Jersey and its biomedical industry, Corzine said (Delli Santi, AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/15). A senior Corzine administration official said the administration plans to make $10 million in state funding available for grants, with $7 million going to embryonic stem cell research, the AP/CBS News reports (Hester, AP/CBS News, 12/17).
Other Regulations
- Illinois: A bipartisan group of five state legislators on Thursday at a news conference proposed providing $25 million annually in state funding for five years for stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, the AP/Bellville News-Democrat reports. State House Republican Leader Tom Cross at the news conference proposed two bills -- one of which would provide $25 million from tobacco lawsuit settlements to stem cell research in 2008 (Bellandi, AP/Bellville News-Democrat, 12/14). The second bill would ban human cloning and the sale of human embryos (Ritter, Chicago Sun-Times, 12/15). State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D) said supporters of the measures gained six votes in the state Legislature as a result of the November elections (Yednak, Chicago Tribune, 12/15). Cross and Schoenberg were joined at the news conference by state Reps. Sara Feigenholtz (D), Beth Coulson (R) and Caroline Krause (R). State Sen. Bill Brady (R) said spending money on embryonic stem cell research "puts taxpayer resources where they're not doing the most good." Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) in a statement said he supports the bills (AP/Bellville News-Democrat, 12/14). Blagojevich in July 2005 signed an executive order that directed $10 million in state funding for stem cell research and established the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute, which the state Department of Public Health oversees, to distribute grants for the research. The program allows research on embryonic, adult and cord blood stem cell lines, but it will not fund research that involves cloning, human tissue that was bought or sold for research, or tissue from aborted embryos or fetuses. Blagojevich in July ordered $5 million in additional funding for the program (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 7/21).
"Reprinted with permission from
http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Branding Laws · Internet Marketing · eMarketing · Internet Advertising · Online Branding
Search Engine Optimization & Marketing · Naming · Privacy Policy · Home · Contact Us
Our Services and AFFORDABLE WEBSITE DESIGNS
