House Science & Technology Committee Passes SB 148

SB 148, the Saving the Cure Act, was passed yesterday by the House Science & Technology Committee. Now it will move to the House floor. While this is good news, it wouldn't hurt to contact your House Rep to let him/her know you want to this bill passed!

I will definitely have another blog entry up tonight because I want to share an email I received last week from Representative Amos Amerson and other information around SB 148.

Also, I hope to have a quote or two from SB 148's sponsor, Senator David Shafer, to include in the entry tonight.

Here is the AJC Article:

Stem cell bill passes in last-minute vote

By Sonji Jacobs Tuesday, April 17, 2007, 07:53 PM

A bill that would promote nondestructive stem cell research in Georgia received a last-minute committee vote Tuesday, greatly improving the proposal’s chances of passing the General Assembly this year.

The House Science and Technology Committee, chaired by Rep. Amos Amerson (R-Dahlonega), approved Senate Bill 148 with no opposition. Last week, the committee declined to vote on the measure, raising doubts about whether the bill would pass before the final day of the Legislative session. The 2007 session is expected to wrap up on Friday.

“My objective from the beginning has been to promote every type of stem cell research over which there is no ethical controversy,” said Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth), the bill’s sponsor. “The committee substitute approved by the House committee today achieves that goal by citing federal guidelines.”

Shafer said he worked with House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) on reworking the bill. The measure now mirrors some of the language in a federal bill being pushed by U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga).

Isakson’s measure, dubbed the Hope Act, would provide federal funding only for research on stem cells taken from so-called “naturally dead” embryos —- those too deficient to produce a child if implanted. His bill is intended to address critics’ main objection: that taking stem cells from viable embryos destroys the embryos, an act they equate with taking a human life.
The U.S. Senate last week passed the bill.

In Georgia, Shafer’s bill needs to pass the full House and then must return to the Senate for approval of the changes made by the House.