A bill providing state money for embryonic stem cell research will move to the floor of the House of Delegates this morning after clearing the House Appropriations Committee last night.
Starting in the state's fiscal 2007, the legislation would provide $23 million annually for research that proponents say holds promise for numerous debilitating conditions, including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Opponents argue that the research, restricted on the federal level, is unethical, because it involves the destruction of a viable human embryo.
Del. Peter Franchot (D-Montgomery), an Appropriations Committee member, said he considered the $23 million a modest amount but said it would send an important signal that biomedical research "is the economic future of the state." The House Health and Government Operations Committee approved the bill earlier.
An amendment by the Appropriations Committee was turned down last night. It would have permitted money to be spent on research using adult stem cells. Adult cells, which are derived from bone marrow and other sources, are less controversial but some scientists argue they hold less promise for developing treatments.
Del. Norman H. Conway (D-Wicomico), the committee chairman, argued that there are ample federal dollars to fund adult stem cell research.
The legislation also has been assigned to two committees in the Senate, one of which it has cleared. Republicans and conservative Democrats are promising a filibuster in that chamber if the bill reaches the floor.
Senate Approves Bill to Curb Sale of Parkland
The Maryland Senate yesterday unanimously approved a bill that would allow voters to curtail the governor's power to sell off state-owned parkland.
The 47 to 0 vote came on a measure to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2006 ballot. If approved by voters, the Board of Public Works, a panel on which the governor sits, would be required to get the permission of the General Assembly before selling state land.
Until this week, Republicans had consistently opposed the proposal, voting in a bloc to try to defeat it in committee. They argued that the measure was a political ploy aimed at galvanizing the Election Day turnout of voters disenchanted with Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s administration's attempt to sell 836 acres of St. Mary's County woodlands to a Baltimore construction executive.
House Approves Health Care Bill
The Maryland House of Delegates approved a bill yesterday that would require all companies with 10,000 or more employees in Maryland to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health care for their employees.
Lawmakers said the only company that would be affected immediately is Wal-Mart, the giant retailer.
The bill, which passed 84 to 50 on a vote that broke largely among party lines, has been a priority for the Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative.
House Minority Whip Anthony J. O'Donnell (R-Calvert) was the only lawmaker to speak out about the bill during yesterday's debate, calling it "a huge policy shift."
"This is a very dangerous proposal heading this state down the wrong path," O'Donnell said.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
Bill to Reduce Emissions Killed
Lawmakers have killed a bill that would have forced power companies in Maryland to cut toxic emissions more deeply and more quickly than new federal rules require.
The legislation, called the "4-P" or "four pollutant" bill, would have mandated reductions in mercury, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. The vote by a House of Delegates committee Thursday night surprised and disappointed environmental groups, which expected the legislation to see floor votes in both the House and Senate.
"We heard at the beginning of the session that this was the year to deal with air quality. This was the year of clean air. That surely didn't happen," said Brad Heavner, state director of Maryland Public Interest Research Group.
Senators were set to vote on the bill yesterday, until they found out it had been spiked in the House committee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
