Legislative News Summary:

The Cord Blood Stem Cell Act of 2005, introduced in 2005 with strong bi-partisan support in both the House and Senate, was significantly redrafted and renamed the Stem Cell Therapeutic & Research Act of 2005. The proposal (H.R.2025) was passed in the House on May 25, 2005 by an overwhelming majority vote (431-1). After protracted deliberations, similar legislation was introduced in the Senate on December 16, 2005 and passed by unanimous consent. The legislation then went back to the House on December 17, 2005, where it was passed by a unanimous vote. On December 20, President George W. Bush immediately signed this bill into law.

Click here to read the full text of the "Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005" (Public Law 109-129--December 20, 2005).

To learn why this legislation is so important to the patient community, click here to read "Cord Blood: A Solution for Bone Marrow Transplantation" prepared by the NYBC for a previous Congressional Briefing.

Older news: Congress funds a FY2004 appropriation for a National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Network. See press release.

For other legislative updates, see the News Box on the NCBP homepage.

OTHER NCBP News:

January 2, 2004 - New York Daily News: "How to Give New Hope to Terminally Ill"

April 17, 2003 - 20,000th Mother donates her baby's cord blood to NYBC's National Cord Blood Program.

February 18, 2003 - The NYBC's National Cord Blood Program receives a $5 million grant from the Starr Foundation.