|
Stem cell funding receives a boost
Assembly committee approves $270 million to build research facilities
Friday, October 20, 2006
BY JOE DONOHUE
Star-Ledger Staff
A stalled effort to pump big money into stem cell and biomedical research in New Jersey got back on track yesterday when a key Assembly committee approved a bill that would earmark $270 million to build facilities across the state.
In a 9-4 party line vote, the Democratic majority on the Assembly Appropriations Committee brushed aside Republican objections and endorsed the measure (A-2828), which now goes to the Assembly floor.
Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union), the bill's lead sponsor, said it would provide critical investment in a promising field of medical research at a time when federal funds are scarce.
"Every dollar we invest in stem cell research holds the promise of saving lives and achieving significant breakthroughs in human health," said Cohen. "These investments will advance groundbreaking research that can turn the promise of embryonic research into a reality of life-saving medical procedures."
If approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature and signed by Gov. Jon Corzine, the bill would allocate $150 million for stem cell research facilities at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and $50 million for stem cell research facilities in Newark operated by the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
It would also spend $50 million for a biomedical research facility at Rutgers, Camden, that would be operated by a consortium of Rutgers, the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, South Jersey.
A total of $10 million would go for blood collection facilities at the Elie Katz Umbilical Cord Blood Program at Community Blood Services, Allendale. Another $10 million would be spent on cancer research facilities in Belleville operated by the Garden State Cancer Center.
Money to finance construction of the facilities would come from unspent state bonds. The projects would be financed through the state Economic Development Authority.
The legislation became a temporary casualty in June of a budget dispute between the Assembly and Senate.
The new bill expands spending from $200 million to up to $270 million. It also increased by $50 million the amount going to Rutgers, New Brunswick, while adding the two $10 million projects in Allendale and Belleville. It also makes clear that the biomedical research facility will be located in Camden.
Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), a major proponent of stem cell research, called the vote a "tremendous win for the people of New Jersey."
"We are now one step closer to realizing the unlimited potential of stem cell research," he said. "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."
One critic of the bill is John Tomicki, executive director of the League of American Families, which opposes the use of embryonic stem cells. He urged lawmakers to reconsider and argued that existing research using non-embryonic stem cells is more promising.
"If you are going to put money anywhere, put it behind treatments that are working today and research that we know has a probability of cures that the federal drug administration can approve," he said.
After the vote, Corzine nominated Patricia Riccio of Warren Township to become a member of the joint board of managers of the Stem Cell Research Institute of New Jersey. Riccio's paralyzed son, Carl, a former wrestler, endorsed the governor for his advocacy of stem cell research in a television commercial during last year's gubernatorial race. Corzine also named his chief policy advisor, Heather Howard of Princeton, to the board.
Joe Donohue covers state government and politics. He may be reached at jdonohue@starledger.com or (609) 989-0208.
Click Here To Close This Window
