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STEM CELL RESEARCH The second session of the 109th Congress is scheduled to start the week of January 31, 2006. During the upcoming year, biomedical research supporters hope the Senate will follow their House counterparts and vote on legislation providing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research-a tough task in this election shortened legislative season. In May 2005, 50 Republicans joined 188 Democrats to pass H.R. 810, The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005. This legislation would expand the number of stem cell lines available for federal funding. However, since this historic vote, the legislation has been stalled in the Senate awaiting a final vote. Originally, supporters of the Senate version of H.R. 810 (S. 471)-including its sponsors Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Tom Harkin (D-IA)-predicted an overwhelmingly supportive vote on their bill. In fact, many in the Senate believed that the bill would receive enough votes to override a veto threat by President Bush. Since that time, five additional stem cell bills have been introduced in the Senate. Many supporters of the Specter and Harkin proposal contend that these alternative bills were introduced as an attempt to peel away support for S. 471, thus preventing its passage. Others, such as Senator Orrin Hatch, believe that having a debate on each of these bills is good for the issue. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is working to find a compromise where he can bring these bills up for a vote, but to date has failed to reach such an agreement. In late June, during consideration of the Senate FY 2006 Labor Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill (L/HHS), Senator Specter threatened to attach S. 471 to this legislation-which funds the NIH. Because this legislation must be passed in order to fund the agencies and programs under its jurisdiction, it would force the President to veto a bill that funds three agencies of the federal government (Departments of Labor, HHS and Education) or sign the bill and thus expand the number of stem cell lines available for federal research. A major development occurred on July 29, 2005 when Senate Majority Leader Frist voiced support for legislation that would expand funding for stem cell research, thus reversing his previous stance. On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Frist said, "While human embryonic stem cell research is still at a very early stage, the limitations put in place in 2001 will, over time, slow our ability to bring potential new treatments for certain diseases." In order to avert a showdown with the Labor HHS funding bill, Senator Frist made a deal with Senator Specter: take the stem cell legislation off the appropriation's bill and he will schedule a vote on S. 471. Specter agreed to this request. On December 20, 2005, stem cell research gained momentum again when the Senate passed S. 1317, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. This legislation sponsored by Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Orin Hatch (R-UT), would, among other things, establish a national registry of 150,000 umbilical blood cord units. During consideration of this bill, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) tried to block passage of S. 1317 so he could attach the Harkin/Specter bill. Frist denied this request for fear of jeopardizing the bill's passage. There have been rumors that a vote on S. 471 could be scheduled as early as February 2006. However, with an election year looming and only 60 or so days to accomplish a host of issues, including reauthorizing the PATRIOT Act, improving health care, addressing education policy issues, and reforming rules on lobbying, it looks highly unlikely that stem cells will reach the Senate floor this year. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn