California Assembly Bill AR37 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: HR 37AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 31, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 24, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hill AUGUST 7, 2012 Relative to umbilical cord blood banking. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST HOUSE OR SENATE RESOLUTIONS DO NOT CONTAIN A DIGEST WHEREAS, Umbilical cord blood is rich in hematopoietic, or blood-forming, stem cells, similar to those found in bone marrow. Therefore, cord blood can be used as an alternative to bone marrow in transplants; and WHEREAS, Since the first umbilical cord blood transplant in 1988, the systems for collecting umbilical cord blood for both public and private use have grown rapidly, both as a treatment for over 80 medical conditions and as an investigational therapy in numerous United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clinical trials; and WHEREAS, The umbilical cord blood industry has grown rapidly and umbilical cord blood is currently used to treat blood cancers, such as leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma, and more than 80 inherited immunodeficiencies and other genetic and acquired blood diseases, including sickle cell anemia, thalassemias, hemoglobinopathies, aplastic anemias, and marrow failure disorders, and inherited disorders or errors of metabolism; and  WHEREAS, It is the intent of the Assembly to assist families who have newborns scoring three or less on the activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration (Apgar) scale by providing the families access to the stem cells of the newborn. These children have a greater likelihood of developing neurological disabilities that may be helped by advancements in regenerative medicine and stem cell research to treat diseases like brain injury, cerebral palsy (CP), and hearing loss; and   WHEREAS, According to a 2010 study published in the British Medical Journal, a low Apgar score was strongly associated with a later diagnosis of CP. The prevalence of CP in children scoring less than three on the Apgar scale was more than 130-fold higher than in children with a score of 10; and   WHEREAS, Clinical trials looking at umbilical cord blood stem cells and CP are ongoing. Dr. James Carroll, pediatric neurologist at Georgia Health Sciences University, received the first FDA clearance to run a clinical trial using a child's own umbilical cord blood stem cells as a potential therapy for children with CP. Other clinical trials also have been approved by the FDA to evaluate the use of a child's own umbilical cord blood in regenerative therapies for diseases and conditions that could not previously be treated, such as hearing loss, traumatic brain injury, and juvenile diabetes; and   WHEREAS, There is growing evidence of the restorative potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells, and indications that many future therapies may come from cells using the patient's own immune system; and  WHEREAS, There are seven  low-Apgar   low-activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration (Apgar)  umbilical cord blood stem cell collection programs  using regenerative medicine  already in place in California, located at Providence Health Systems in southern California, Southwest Healthcare System at Inland Valley Medical Center, Southwest Healthcare System at Rancho Springs Medical Center, Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, Washington Hospital in Fremont, John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, and Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City; and WHEREAS, These hospitals contract with an accredited umbilical cord blood bank that provides collection kits and processing in order to provide this service, under a memorandum of understanding. As part of the contract, training is provided to ensure quality collection, sufficient collection volume, and sterility to ensure eligibility for acceptance in FDA-regulated clinical trials  for CP ; and WHEREAS, Not all umbilical cord blood samples collected specifically for public banks and bone marrow or cord blood transplants are available for transplantation; and WHEREAS, The remaining public banking units should be provided to research institutions to explore the potential of umbilical cord blood stem cells to treat many debilitating and lethal medical conditions; and WHEREAS, The federal government enacted the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 to collect and maintain umbilical cord blood for public use in transplantation and research; and WHEREAS, The National Marrow Donor Program, in a recent plea to states to help increase the national umbilical cord blood public inventory, declared that states can help expand the number of publicly available umbilical cord blood units by appropriating additional resources for the collection and storage of units; now, therefore, be it Resolved, by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly encourages acute care hospitals to participate in free collection programs for umbilical cord blood and cord tissue in order to maximize the potential medical benefits that umbilical cord blood therapies can provide; and be it further Resolved, That the Assembly encourages acute care hospitals to participate in free collection programs that provide parents of children born in those hospitals  who have an activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration (Apgar) score of three or less at five minutes,  with the option of storing the child' s umbilical cord blood and cord tissue, at no cost to the parent, in order that the umbilical cord blood and cord tissue may be used for therapeutic purposes as therapies become medically available; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the State Department of Public Health and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.