BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2342 |
By: Zedler |
State Affairs |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties report that human stem cell research is currently being conducted at universities across Texas, and they point to scholarly publications, testimony from university leaders and scientists, and invitations to legislators and their staff to tour university laboratories where this research is occurring as evidence of this activity. The parties note that stem cell research is supported by a variety of funding sources, including federal, state, and local funds, as well as funding from nonprofit and private for-profit entities. C.S.H.B. 2342 seeks to establish the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board to further adult stem cell research through a variety of activities and to address the collection and use of adult stem cells.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2342 amends the Education Code to establish the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board and to set the composition of the seven-member board, with members appointed by the lieutenant governor, the governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives. The bill sets out provisions for the governor's designation of the presiding officer, staggered service terms of board members, and the procedure for filling board vacancies. The bill excludes certain persons from board membership due to specified conflicts of interest and requires the appointments to be made as soon as practicable after the bill's effective date.
C.S.H.B. 2342 requires the board to establish the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Consortium, composed of participating institutions of higher education and businesses that accept public money for adult stem cell research or otherwise agree to participate in the consortium. The bill requires the board to administer the adult stem cell research program to make certain grants and loans to consortium members, to support consortium members in all stages of the process of developing treatments and cures based on adult stem cell research, to establish appropriate regulatory standards and oversight bodies for adult stem cell research conducted by consortium members and the development of facilities for consortium members conducting adult stem cell research, and to assist consortium members in applying for grants or loans under the program. The bill requires the board to develop research priorities, guidelines, and procedures for providing grants and loans for specific research projects conducted by consortium members that are made on a competitive, peer review basis. The bill authorizes the program to be funded by gifts, grants, and donations. The bill requires the consortium to solicit, and authorizes the board to accept on behalf of the consortium, a gift, grant, or donation made from any public or private source for the purpose of promoting adult stem cell research or commercialization.
C.S.H.B. 2342 requires the board to submit, not later than September 1 of each even-numbered year, a report of the board's activities and recommendations to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative standing committee or subcommittee with jurisdiction over higher education and requires the board to submit its first report not later than September 1, 2014.
C.S.H.B. 2342 amends the Health and Safety Code to authorize the use of blood obtained by a blood bank for the collection of adult stem cells if the donor consents in writing to that use. The bill authorizes a hospital to use adult stem cells in a procedure if a physician providing services at the hospital determines that such use is appropriate and the patient consents in writing to the use.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2013.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2342 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and highlighted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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