On Wednesday, proponents of stem cell research failed in their efforts to gain public funding for HB 1837, “The Stem Cell Research Health and Wellness Act,” which would allocate $10 million in public funds to nonprofit organizations for stem cell research. Informed by leadership that there was little chance money would be made available for the initiative, sponsors of the legislation introduced a substitute amendment, which essentially included the major provisions of HB 1837 – sans the funding. Individuals in the room at the time of the vote on the substitute amendment report that the committee vote was 31-31, meaning the substitute failed to pass. Appropriations Committee Chair Mickey Michaux, however, actually announced the vote as 31-30. When asked by several agitated Republican legislators to release vote totals, Michaux refused and adjourned the hearing. The Appropriations Committee has scheduled a re-vote on the legislation for Thursday morning. We’ll continue to monitor this bill – because, whether it is funded this year or not, it is clear that HB 1837 is meant to lay the groundwork for future state funding for ESC research. …Yet, given that higher-ed institutions in North Carolina are already conducting ESC research, it is difficult to see why this legislation is necessary at all.
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