Authorizes the Secretary, through the National Institutes of Health, to conduct and support human stem cell research.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1349 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1349
To provide for a National Stem Cell Donor Bank regarding qualifying
human stem cells, and for the conduct and support of research using
such cells.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 3, 2001
Mr. Ensign (for himself and Mr. Brownback) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a National Stem Cell Donor Bank regarding qualifying
human stem cells, and for the conduct and support of research using
such 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 ``Responsible Stem Cell Research Act
of 2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Past investments in biomedical research have resulted
in better health, an improved quality of life for all
Americans, and a reduction in national health care
expenditures.
(2) The Nation's commitment to biomedical research has
expanded the base of scientific knowledge about health and
disease and revolutionized the practice of medicine.
(3) Research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health
is responsible for the identification of genetic mutations
relating to nearly 100 diseases, including Alzheimer's disease,
cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease, osteoporosis, many forms
of cancer, and immune deficiency disorders.
(4) Many Americans still face serious and life-threatening
health problems, both acute and chronic.
(5) Neurodegenerative diseases of the elderly, such as
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, threaten to destroy the
lives of millions of Americans.
(6) Cancer remains a comprehensive threat to any tissue or
organ of the body at any age, and remains a leading cause of
morbidity and mortality.
(7) The extent of psychiatric and neurological diseases
poses considerable challenges in understanding the workings of
the brain and nervous system.
(8) Diabetes, both insulin and noninsulin forms, afflicts
16 million Americans and places them at risk for acute and
chronic complications, including blindness, kidney failure,
atherosclerosis, and nerve degeneration.
(9) Recent scientific developments show that human stem
cell research based on ethically responsible stem cell sources
may lead to exponential improvements in the treatment of many
terminal and debilitating conditions, from cancer to
Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to diabetes to heart disease.
(10) To take full advantage of the tremendous potential for
finding a cure or effective treatment for many debilitating
diseases, the Federal investment in ethical stem cell research
must be expanded.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL STEM CELL DONOR BANK.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
by contract establish and maintain a National Stem Cell Donor Bank (in
this section referred to as the ``Donor Bank''). The purpose of the
Donor Bank shall be to seek and preserve donations of qualifying human
stem cells and to make such donated cells available for biomedical
research and for therapeutic purposes.
(b) Qualifying Human Stem Cells.--For purposes of this Act, the
term ``qualifying human stem cells'' means human stem cells obtained
from human placentas, umbilical cord blood, organs or tissues of a
living or deceased human being who has been born, or organs or tissues
of unborn human offspring who died of natural causes (such as
spontaneous abortion).
(c) Administration of Donor Bank.--The Donor Bank shall be under
the general supervision of the Secretary, and under the direction of a
board of directors meeting such criteria as the Secretary may
establish.
(d) Patient Registry.--The Donor Bank shall with respect to
qualifying human stem cells--
(1) operate a registry of patients who are transplant
candidates;
(2) establish a system for finding donors who are unrelated
to the candidate patients and are suitably matched to the
patients; and
(3) carry out informational and educational activities.
(e) Criteria.--The Secretary shall establish criteria for the Donor
Bank and other entities that participate in the program under this
section, including--
(1) quality standards and standards for tissue typing and
obtaining the informed consent of donors, or the parents or
legal representatives of donors as appropriate;
(2) donor selection criteria, based on established medical
criteria, to protect both donors and transplant recipients and
to prevent the transmission of potentially harmful infectious
diseases;
(3) procedures to ensure the proper collection and
transportation of qualifying human stem cells; and
(4) standards that--
(A) require the establishment of a system of strict
confidentiality of records relating to the identity and
address of and medical information on patients and
donors; and
(B) prescribe the purposes for which the records
described in subparagraph (A) may be disclosed, and the
circumstances and extent of the disclosure.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying
out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
SEC. 4. USE OF QUALIFYING HUMAN STEM CELLS IN RESEARCH CONDUCTED OR
SUPPORTED BY NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
National Institutes of Health, may conduct and support research that
uses qualifying human stem cells.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying
out subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated
$275,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary
for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act:
(1) The term ``qualifying human stem cells'' has the
meaning given such term in section 3.
(2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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