Honorable Byron Cook, Chair, House Committee on State Affairs
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB177 by Zedler (Relating to the research, collection, and use of adult stem cells.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated, due to the bill's prohibition on the program being funded with legislative appropriations.
The bill creates the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board (Research Coordinating Board). Under provisions of the bill, the Research Coordinating Board would establish an adult stem cell research program and the Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Consortium (Consortium). The Consortium would be 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 Research Coordinating Board would administer the program to make grants and loans to consortium members for adult stem research projects, the development of facilities to be used solely for adult stem cell research projects and the commercialization of products or technology involving adult stem cell research and treatments. Under provisions of the bill, funding for the program can only be supported through gifts, grants and donations. The bill states that the program may not be funded by legislative appropriations. Since legislative appropriations cannot be used to support the program, there is no fiscal impact to the State.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
710 Texas A&M University System Administrative and General Offices, 720 The University of Texas System Administration, 758 Texas State University System, 768 Texas Tech University System Administration, 769 University of North Texas System Administration, 781 Higher Education Coordinating Board, 783 University of Houston System Administration