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Lawmakers ante $270 million for stem-cell research
Friday, December 15, 2006
BY TOM HESTER
Star-Ledger Staff
After nearly two years of often heated debate and backroom negotiations, the Legislature approved a bill yesterday that will provide $270 million to build and equip five stem cell and biomedical research facilities in New Jersey.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Jon Corzine, who said yesterday he is excited to receive the bill and plans to sign it.
"I think we have a very, very good initiative to make a platform for New Jersey to be a leader," he said. "I anticipate that no matter which party gets into the White House in 2008, we will see a different outlook on stem cell research funding. We will have created a critical mass of research facilities to be the lead in this field."
The bill was approved 53-24 with 3 abstentions in the Assembly and 25-9 with 6 abstentions in the Senate. It was amended in the Assembly change the financing source for the projects from cigarette tax bonds to appropriation-backed state contract bonds to be issued by the state Economic Development Authority.
Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union), the measure's prime sponsor in the lower house, said the Treasury Department advised a better interest rate on the contract bonds would save the state $18 million to $20 million.
"Every dollar we invest in stem-cell research holds the promise of saving lives and achieving significant breakthroughs in human health," an emotional Cohen said following the vote. "These investments will advance groundbreaking research that can turn the promise of embryonic research into a reality of life-saving medical procedures."
The legislation would provide $150 million for a Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, $50 million for the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, and $50 million for biomedical research facilities located at Rutgers-Camden and operated by a consortium that includes the university, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
Another $10 million would be provided for blood collection facilities operated by the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program at Community Blood Services in Allendale, and $10 million would go to the Garden State Cancer Center in Belleville.
Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), the prime sponsor of the legislation in the upper house, said the Stem Cell Institute would be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to support research and enable scientists to translate basic research into real-life therapies.
The only objection to the legislation (S-1471) in the Assembly came when Assemblyman Richard A. Merkt (R-Morris) rose to argue voters should decide if the state should float the bonds. In Senate, only Minority Leader Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon) spoke against the bill, also to object over the authorization of bonds without voter approval.
Marie Tasy, director of New Jersey Right to Life, called the legislation a "loan to clone," and said it "will result in the exploitation of women and the mass production of cloned human embryos and fetuses for use in destructive experimental research."
The lack of support for stem-cell research by the Bush Administration led the Legislature and then-Gov. Richard Codey to undertake both funding and education efforts to promote stem-cell research. Last year, New Jersey became the first state to fund stem-cell research when it awarded $5 million in grants to 17 researchers.
Cohen said he hopes to see the third step in stem-cell funding occur early next year when legislation is expected to be introduced to provide as much as $350 million for research grants. He said the money would have to be approved through a referendum on the November ballot.
"This is a long-term investment in our natural assets that may one day yield life altering results for New Jersey residents and people the world over," Codey said. He added, "This bill has the potential to secure New Jersey's place as a leader in the life science industry, ease suffering and save countless lives."
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