Chief Deputy Whip
Rep. Diana DeGette
DeGette is a fourth generation Coloradoan, educated at Denver's South High School and Colorado College. Read More...

The Daily WhipLine

Thursday, January 11, 2007 : PRINT

Floor Schedule and Procedure:

· The Bipartisan DeGette-Castle Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 3): This bill expands federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, giving hope to 100 million Americans affected by debilitating or life-threatening diseases and their families. The bill will be managed by Energy and Commerce Chair John Dingell or his designee.  Under the rule (H. Res. 6) passed last week, consideration of H.R. 3 will proceed in the following order:

o       3 hours of debate.
o       10 minutes of debate on the Republican motion to recommit.
o       Vote on Republican motion to recommit. Democrats are urged to vote NO.
o       Vote on final passage of H.R. 3.  Democrats are urged to vote YES.

 ·  Recorded Vote on H. Res. 15:  At some point today, the House will take a recorded vote on the following Suspension bill that was debated on Tuesday: 

· H. Res. 15 - Mourning the passing of President Gerald Rudolph Ford and celebrating his leadership and service to the people of the U.S. (Reps. Ehlers, Pelosi, Hoyer, Boehner, Dingell – Oversight and Government Reform)              

Bill Summary and Key Issues:

The Bipartisan DeGette-Castle Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act

(H.R. 3): The bill increases the number of embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federally-funded research:  

· Increasing the Number of Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Eligible for Federally-Funded Research: The bipartisan DeGette-Castle bill would increase the number of embryonic stem cell lines that would be eligible to be used in federally-funded research.  Specifically, the bill would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support research involving embryonic stem cells meeting certain criteria, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from an embryo.  Current policy limits the use of federal funds for research only to those stem cell lines that existed when President Bush issued an executive order on August 9, 2001.  The bill only authorizes federal research funds for stem cell lines generated from embryos that would otherwise be discarded by fertility clinics. 

· Imposing Strict Ethical Guidelines: The bipartisan bill includes strict ethical guidelines, which do not exist under the Administration’s current policy.  Specifically, the bill allows federal funding of embryonic stem cell research only if the following requirements have been met: 1) embryos used to derive stem cells were originally created for fertility treatment purposes and are in excess of fertility treatment needs; 2) the individuals seeking fertility treatments for whom the embryos were created have determined that the embryos “would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded;” and 3) the individuals seeking fertility treatments must have “donated the embryos with written informed consent and without receiving any financial or other inducements to make the donation.” 

· Reporting Requirements: The Secretary shall annually prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report describing the activities carried out during the preceding fiscal year and including a description of whether and to what extent research has been conducted.