Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB2379 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R2556 KEL-F
2	2	By: Kolkhorst H.B. No. 2379
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the establishment of an adult stem cell research
8	8	program.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter H, Title 3, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Chapter 156 to read as follows:
12	12	CHAPTER 156. ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH PROGRAM
13	13	Sec. 156.001. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
14	14	(1) "Adult stem cell" means an undifferentiated cell
15	15	that is:
16	16	(A) found in differentiated tissue; and
17	17	(B) is able to renew itself and differentiate to
18	18	yield all or nearly all of the specialized cell types of the tissue
19	19	from which the cell originated.
20	20	(2) "Consortium" means the Texas Adult Stem Cell
21	21	Research Consortium.
22	22	(3) "Institution of higher education" means an
23	23	institution of higher education as defined by Section 61.003 or a
24	24	private college or university that receives state funds.
25	25	(4) "Program" means the adult stem cell research
26	26	program established under this chapter.
27	27	(5) "Research coordinating board" means the Texas
28	28	Adult Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board.
29	29	Sec. 156.002. COMPOSITION OF RESEARCH COORDINATING BOARD.
30	30	(a) The Texas Adult Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board is
31	31	composed of:
32	32	(1) two members representing the Texas Higher
33	33	Education Coordinating Board, each of whom is appointed by the
34	34	commissioner of higher education;
35	35	(2) two members representing the Health and Human
36	36	Services Commission, each of whom is appointed by the executive
37	37	commissioner of the commission;
38	38	(3) one member who is an interested person appointed
39	39	by the lieutenant governor;
40	40	(4) seven professional members with special training
41	41	and interest in:
42	42	(A) adult stem cell research;
43	43	(B) clinical applications involving adult stem
44	44	cells; or
45	45	(C) commercialization of products or technology
46	46	involving adult stem cell research and treatments; and
47	47	(5) members representing institutions of higher
48	48	education participating in the consortium, with one member
49	49	appointed by the president of each institution.
50	50	(b) The governor shall appoint four of the professional
51	51	members, and the lieutenant governor shall appoint three of the
52	52	professional members.
53	53	(c) The governor shall designate as the presiding officer of
54	54	the research coordinating board a member of the board who does not
55	55	represent an institution of higher education. The presiding
56	56	officer serves in that capacity at the will of the governor.
57	57	(d) The members of the research coordinating board serve
58	58	staggered six-year terms. If a vacancy occurs on the board, the
59	59	appropriate appointing authority shall appoint, in the same manner
60	60	as the original appointment, another person to serve for the
61	61	remainder of the unexpired term.
62	62	Sec. 156.003. CONFLICT OF INTEREST. (a) In this section,
63	63	"Texas trade association" means a cooperative and voluntarily
64	64	joined association of business or professional competitors in this
65	65	state designed to assist its members and its industry or profession
66	66	in dealing with mutual business or professional problems and in
67	67	promoting their common interest.
68	68	(b) A person may not be a member of the research
69	69	coordinating board if:
70	70	(1) the person is an officer, employee, or paid
71	71	consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of medicine; or
72	72	(2) the person's spouse is an officer, manager, or paid
73	73	consultant of a Texas trade association in the field of medicine.
74	74	(c) A person may not be a member of the research
75	75	coordinating board if the person is required to register as a
76	76	lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government Code, because of the
77	77	person's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession
78	78	related to the operation of the board.
79	79	Sec. 156.004. COMPOSITION OF CONSORTIUM. (a) The research
80	80	coordinating board shall establish the Texas Adult Stem Cell
81	81	Research Consortium.
82	82	(b) The consortium is composed of participating
83	83	institutions of higher education that:
84	84	(1) accept public money for adult stem cell research;
85	85	or
86	86	(2) otherwise agree to participate in the consortium.
87	87	Sec. 156.005. ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM; GUIDELINES AND
88	88	PROCEDURES. (a) The research coordinating board shall administer
89	89	the program to:
90	90	(1) make grants and loans to consortium members for:
91	91	(A) adult stem cell research projects, including
92	92	projects to develop therapies, protocols, or medical procedures
93	93	involving adult stem cells;
94	94	(B) the development of facilities to be used
95	95	solely for adult stem cell research projects; and
96	96	(C) the commercialization of products or
97	97	technology involving adult stem cell research and treatments;
98	98	(2) support consortium members in all stages of the
99	99	process of developing treatments and cures based on adult stem cell
100	100	research, beginning with initial laboratory research through
101	101	successful clinical trials;
102	102	(3) establish appropriate regulatory standards and
103	103	oversight bodies for:
104	104	(A) adult stem cell research conducted by
105	105	consortium members; and
106	106	(B) the development of facilities for consortium
107	107	members conducting adult stem cell research; and
108	108	(4) assist consortium members in applying for grants
109	109	or loans under the program.
110	110	(b) The research coordinating board shall develop research
111	111	priorities, guidelines, and procedures for providing grants and
112	112	loans for specific research projects conducted by consortium
113	113	members. The priorities, guidelines, and procedures must require
114	114	the grants and loans to be made on a competitive, peer review basis.
115	115	Sec. 156.006. FUNDING. The program may be funded by:
116	116	(1) legislative appropriations; or
117	117	(2) gifts, grants, and donations described by Section
118	118	156.007.
119	119	Sec. 156.007. GRANTS AND GIFTS. The consortium shall
120	120	solicit, and the research coordinating board may accept on behalf
121	121	of the consortium, a gift, grant, or donation made from any public
122	122	or private source for the purpose of promoting adult stem cell
123	123	research or commercialization.
124	124	Sec. 156.008. BIENNIAL REPORT. Not later than September 1
125	125	of each even-numbered year, the research coordinating board shall
126	126	submit a report of the board's activities and recommendations to
127	127	the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and to the governor,
128	128	the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
129	129	representatives, and the presiding officer of each legislative
130	130	standing committee or subcommittee with jurisdiction over higher
131	131	education.
132	132	SECTION 2. Not later than September 1, 2010, the Texas Adult
133	133	Stem Cell Research Coordinating Board shall submit the first report
134	134	of the board's activities and recommendations as required by
135	135	Chapter 156, Education Code, as added by this Act.
136	136	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.