ALSO FROM THOMAS:
S 2015 IS
106th CONGRESS
2nd Session
S. 2015
Introduced by Senators Specter and Harkin:
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for research with
respect
to human embryonic stem cells.
                     IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
                              January 31, 2000
Mr. SPECTER (for himself and Mr. HARKIN) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
                                A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for research with
respect
to human embryonic stem cells.

     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 `Stem Cell Research Act of 2000'.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS.

     Part G of the Title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
288
     et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 498B the following:

`SEC. 498C. RESEARCH ON HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS.

     `(a) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
     Secretary may only conduct, support, or fund research on, or
     utilizing, human embryos for the purpose of generating embryonic
stem
     cells in accordance with this section.

     `(b) SOURCES OF EMBRYONIC CELLS- For purposes of carrying out
research
     under paragraph (1), the human embryonic stem cells involved shall
be
     derived only from embryos that otherwise would be discarded that
have
     been donated from in-vitro fertilization clinics with the written
     informed consent of the progenitors.

     `(c) RESTRICTIONS-

          `(1) IN GENERAL- The following restriction shall apply with
          respect to human embryonic stem cell research conducted or
          supported under subsection (a):

               `(A) The research involved shall not result in the
creation
               of human embryos.

               `(B) The research involved shall not result in the
               reproductive cloning of a human being.

          `(2) PROHIBITION-

               `(A) IN GENERAL- It shall be unlawful for any person
               receiving Federal funds to knowingly acquire, receive, or
               otherwise transfer any human gametes or human embryos for
               valuable consideration if the acquisition, receipt, or
               transfer affects interstate commerce.

               `(B) DEFINITION- In subparagraph (A), the term `valuable
               consideration' does not include reasonable payments
               associated with transportation, transplantation,
processing,
               preservation, quality control, or storage.

     `(d) GUIDELINES-

          `(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary, in conjunction with the
Director
          of the National Institutes of Health, shall issue guidelines
          governing human embryonic stem cell research under this
section,
          including the definitions and terms used for purposes of such
          research.

          `(2) REQUIREMENTS- The guidelines issued under paragraph (1)
          shall ensure that--

               `(A) all Federal research protocols and consent forms
               involving human embryonic stem cell research must be
               reviewed and approved by an institutional review board;
and

               `(B) the institutional review board is empowered to make a
               determination as to whether or not the proposed research
is
               in accordance with National Institutes of Health
Guidelines
               for Research Involving Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

     `(e) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.- Not later than January 1, 2001, and
each
     January 1 thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the
     appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the
activities
     carried out under this section during the preceding fiscal year, and
     including a description of whether and to what extent research under
     subsection (a) has been conducted in accordance with this section.'.

END

The following are some of Sen. Specter's remarks on the introduction of
the bill - from the Congressional Record (also thru THOMAS)

S 2015
  STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS (Senate - January
31,  2000)
Senator Specter:
"Over the past 14 months, the Labor, Health and Human Services and
Education
Subcommittee which I chair, held four hearings, the latest on November 4,
1999, to discuss the advances in stem cell research made by two research
teams. One team, led by Dr. James Thompson at the University of
Wisconsin,
and the other headed by Dr. John Gearhart at Johns Hopkins University.
Stem
cell research is one area that holds particular promise for the
development
of future medical treatment and cures. . .
 At a Senate hearing convened by my subcommittee on December 2, 1998, Dr.
Gearhart testified that he has been able to induce  some stem cells to
grow into nerve cells. Other scientists also stated that  cures for
Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases and
illnesses that plague mankind could be greatly accelerated by stem cell
research. Some scientists, for example, believe that stem cell research
could lead to tangible benefits to Parkinson's Disease patients in as
soon as 7 to 10 years.

What has been delaying the advancement of this new line of research is a
provision in the Labor-HHS appropriations bill that prohibits research on
human embryos. On January 15, 1999, the Department of Health and Human
Services issued a legal opinion finding that the statutory prohibition of
the use of funds appropriated to HHS for human embryo research would not
apply to research utilizing human pluripotent stem cells because such
cells
do not constitute a human embryo. But even this limited use of stem cells
may be blocked by those who misunderstand its purpose. According to Dr.
Harold Varmus, the former head of the National Institutes of Health,
research on stem cells is not the same as research on human embryos. Stem
cells do not have the capacity to develop into a human being.

While I applaud the HHS ruling, I do not believe that it goes far enough.
To achieve the greatest and swiftest benefits, Federal researchers need
their own supply of stem cells. Therefore, I am proposing this
legislation
to enable Federally-funded researchers to derive their own stem cells
from
spare embryos obtained from in vitro fertilization clinics. Allowing
scientists to conduct human stem cell research would greatly accelerate
advances in many avenues of study and, in collaboration with private
industry, expedite the production and availability of new drugs and
treatments. Enacting such legislation would clarify the boundaries
governing Federally-funded researchers and make clear the commitment of
this Congress to biomedical research."

"Let me review the key provisions of this bill:
It would amend the Public Health Service Act and give permanent authority
to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct, support, or
fund
research on human embryos only for the purpose of generating stem cells.
Human embryonic stem cells may be derived and used in research only from
embryos that would otherwise be discarded and donated by in vitro
fertilization clinics and only with the written informed consent of the
donors."