HJR 48: Medical, Ethical, & Scientific Issues Relating to Stem Cell Research

November 13, 2006

The main purpose of the final two meetings of the joint subcommittee was to develop legislation for the 2007 General Assembly session.

The first and only speaker of the day was Dr. David Suttle of the Virginia Department of Health. Dr. Suttle, who was unable to attend the last subcommittee meeting, gave a brief update of the Department of Health's progress in implementing the Virginia Cord Blood Bank Initiative. He mentioned that the consortium of experts developed as a result of HB 413 (2006) would hold their first meeting on December 1. He also spoke of new federal funding possibilities that the consortium would be exploring. He also expressed some concern that language in the Code section establishing the Cord Blood Bank limiting its use to Virginians might limit the sources of funding available. The members briefly discussed introducing legislation to change this language, but eventually decided to wait and see if the consortium of experts thought this would be necessary.

The rest of the meeting was devoted to developing legislative proposals. The joint subcommittee came up with three proposals that they would like to see drafted before their final meeting. The proposals were:

• A continuation of the study for one year, for two meetings only, to continue to monitor the progress of the Cord Blood Bank Initiative and to deal with any emerging stem cell research issues.
• A resolution encouraging the Department of Health to continue seeking new sources of federal funding, and also to seek support from the Virginia congressional delegation.
• A bill requiring insurance providers to cover the costs of umbilical cord blood collection, processing, and storage.

The meeting was adjourned with the agreement that the subcommittee would meet one last time to go over drafts of the three proposals.

November 27, 2006

The joint subcommittee's final meeting was limited to a review of the three legislative proposals. The members reviewed the drafts prepared by staff and decided to recommend continuing the study for another year, encourage the Department of Health to seek federal funding for the Cord Blood Bank Initiative, as well as seek the support the Virginia congressional delegation. The subcommittee decided not to pursue legislation requiring insurance carriers to cover the costs associated with umbilical cord blood collection and storage.

Chairman:
The Hon. Robert G. Marshall

For information, contact:
Jessica Eades and Nikki Seeds, DLS Staff

Website:
http://dls.state.va.us/stemcell.htm

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