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Amend CSSB 73 (Senate committee printing) as follows:
(1) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 156.001,
Education Code (page 1, between lines 23 and 24), insert the
following new Subdivision (2) and renumber subsequent subdivisions
of that section appropriately:
(2) "Advisory committee" means the advisory committee
appointed under Section 156.006.
(2) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 156.006,
Education Code (page 2, lines 52-56), strike Subsection (a) and
substitute the following:
(a) An advisory committee is established to make
recommendations based on prevailing international best practices
in adult stem cell research to assist the research oversight
committee in performing its duties. The research oversight
committee shall consult with the advisory committee to develop
grant and loan application procedures for research proposals
submitted by consortium participants.
(3) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Chapter 156,
Education Code (page 2, between lines 67 and 68), insert the
following:
Sec. 156.007. PEER REVIEW PROCEDURES AND CRITERIA. (a) The
advisory committee shall establish procedures and criteria for peer
review of applications for grants and loans for proposed research
projects consistent with national and international standards,
including the enhanced review criteria for the evaluation of
research applications received for potential funding in fiscal year
2010 and the associated scoring procedures used by the National
Institutes of Health. The advisory committee shall establish
conflict of interest standards regarding peer reviewers consistent
with 42 C.F.R. Section 52h.5.
(b) The advisory committee shall select reviewers for the
peer review process based on a reviewer's training and experience
in relevant scientific, medical, or technical fields, taking into
account:
(1) the formal scientific or technical education
completed;
(2) relevant research engaged in by the person,
including whether the person was the principal researcher;
(3) any awards, honors, or other recognition received
from scientific, professional, and medical organizations; and
(4) the need to include experts from various areas of
specialization within relevant scientific, medical, or technical
fields.
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (b), not more than 50
percent of the peer reviewers for an application may be residents of
this state.
(d) A peer reviewer is not an officer or employee of this
state.
(4) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 156.007,
Education Code (page 3, lines 17-25), strike Subsection (b) and
substitute the following:
(b) The research oversight committee shall refer all grant
and loan applications to the advisory committee for competitive,
peer review evaluation of the medical, scientific, and technical
merits of the proposed research project. The advisory committee
shall, giving consideration to the substance and results of peer
review of individual research project proposals, recommend to the
research oversight committee acceptance or rejection of an
individual grant or loan application.
(5) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Section 156.007(d),
Education Code (page 3, line 33), between "writing" and "and",
insert "not later than the 14th day after the date of the decision".
(6) In SECTION 1 of the bill, in added Chapter 156,
Education Code, renumber sections and correct cross-references
appropriately (page 2, line 68, and page 3, lines 34, 37, 41, and
47).