BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 471| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ UNFINISHED BUSINESS Bill No: SB 471 Author: Romero (D) and Steinberg (D), et al Amended: 5/28/09 Vote: 21 SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-1, 4/29/09 AYES: Romero, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado, Padilla, Simitian NOES: Huff NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-5, 5/28/09 AYES: Kehoe, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Hancock, Leno, Oropeza, Yee NOES: Cox, Denham, Runner, Walters, Wyland NO VOTE RECORDED: Wolk SENATE FLOOR : 24-14, 6/1/09 AYES: Alquist, Calderon, Cedillo, Corbett, DeSaulnier, Ducheny, Florez, Hancock, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal, Maldonado, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza, Padilla, Pavley, Romero, Simitian, Steinberg, Wiggins, Wolk, Wright, Yee NOES: Aanestad, Ashburn, Benoit, Cogdill, Correa, Cox, Denham, Dutton, Harman, Huff, Runner, Strickland, Walters, Wyland NO VOTE RECORDED: Hollingsworth, Vacancy ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 52-26, 9/8/09 - See last page for vote SUBJECT : Education: stem cell research CONTINUED SB 471 Page 2 SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill creates the California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009 to establish stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce development as a state priority and to promote stronger links among industry sectors, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and California public schools, as specified. Assembly Amendments delete provisions requiring the State Board of Education to incorporate stem cell science curriculum content and the science curriculum framework, evaluation, and instructional materials at its next curriculum revision and adoption and requesting the U.C. Regents to consult with various entities in developing a curriculum for the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science. Instead the amendments requires the Department of Education to post certain information on its Internet website, including CIRM model curriculum on stem cell science, and to communicate to science teachers, school districts of the availability of this curriculum. ANALYSIS : Proposition 71, approved by California voters in November 2004, authorized $3 billion in state bond funding for stem cell research and established the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to regulate stem cell research and provide funding for such research and research facilities. Proposition 71 also established an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) to govern CIRM, established a constitutional right to conduct stem cell research, and prohibited funding of human reproductive cloning research. Existing law provides for the establishment and maintenance of the California Subject Matter Projects (CSMP) for the purpose of developing and enhancing teachers' subject matter knowledge and instructional strategies in order to improve student learning and academic performance in core content areas, including science. Existing law provides for the operation of the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) SB 471 Page 3 through the University of California (UC). The 2009-10 Budget Act provides $1.897 million for this program. In March 2009, the State Board of Education (SBE) unanimously adopted a proposal to include stem cell science in the science curriculum and include the content in the update of the 2010 Science Frameworks. This bill: 1. Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), in consultation with the CIRM and representatives of the biotechnology industry to promote stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce development within existing programs, including, but not limited to, all of the following: A. The California Health Science Educators Institute. B. The Health Science Capacity Building Project. C. The California Partnership Academies. D. The regional science resource centers. E. The California Career Resource Network, including the State Agency Partners Committee. F. Multiple pathway programs. G. The K-12 High Speed Network, including its academic content platform. 2. Requires CDE to post on its Internet website and on the CTE Website created by AB 597 (Assembly Education Committee), Chapter 529, Statutes of 2007, information and links about the following: A. Biotechnology education programs, including, but not limited to, those identified by the biotech industry and industry-related organizations. B. The CIRM education initiatives and related stem SB 471 Page 4 cell education and workforce development programs. 3. Requires CDE to post on its Internet website links to the CIRM model curriculum on stem cell science and communicate to science teachers and school districts the availability of this curriculum. 4. Makes several findings and declarations relative to stem cell research and the biotechnology industry. Comments Stem cell research . According to the analysis provided by the Legislative Analyst for Proposition 71, stem cell research may provide information on the complex events that occur during human development that lead to serious medical conditions and birth defects. Stem cells differ from other cells in that they are unspecialized, can, under certain circumstances, be transformed into cells with specialized functions, and are capable of reproducing themselves, which allow them to serve as a repair system for the body. The various types of stem cells have different potential for treating disease. Researchers indicate that stem cells could be used to test the safety of drugs and offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, heart disease, diabetes, or to treat spinal cord injuries. To date, the CIRM governing board has approved more than $693 million in research and facilities grants and is currently considered to be the largest source for embryonic and pluripotent stem cell research in the world. In March 2009, President Obama signed an executive order lifting restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research and directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to support and conduct responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research to the extent permitted by law. To the extent that industry, research institutions, and schools can work together to address the education and training necessary to fill positions in the stem cell field, this bill could enable California to maintain the momentum SB 471 Page 5 initiated through Proposition 71 and build a regenerative medicine infrastructure that will generate jobs, contribute to the economy, and help California maintain a competitive edge in this emerging field of medicine. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee: Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Fund SDE $65 General SUPPORT : (Verified 9/9/09) American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees BayBio BioCom California Healthcare Institute California Institute for Regenerative Medicine California State University Don Reed, Californians for Cures San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Student Society for Stem Cell Research University of California OPPOSITION : (Verified 9/9/09) California Catholic Conference Life Legal Defense Foundation ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The author's office states the bill will have a positive fiscal effect by (1) making good on the significant public investment made by the people of California with approval of Proposition 71 of 2004, which authorized $3 billion in state bond funds for stem cell research and facilities. The follow-up step of aligning public education with this public funding of stem cell research is necessary to turn this important research into SB 471 Page 6 therapies and cures and for California to realize the economic benefits of stem cell research as promised in the ballot information on Proposition 71; and (2) positioning California for additional federal funds for stem cell research made possible by President Obama's March 9, 2009, executive order lifting federal restrictions on stem cell research; (3) enabling California to leverage and expand the significant investment that private industry has already made in implementing science education programs in partnership with public schools, such as those outlined in the California biotechnology Foundation's soon-to-be -released directory of education programs; (4) enabling California to maximize the benefit realized from the public funding of existing programs of the Department of Education by promoting greater collaboration and resource-sharing among the Department of Education, CIRM, and private industry; and (5) enabling California to produce the educated and trained workers needed to meet industry demand in the growing stem cell and biotechnology sectors, thereby keeping those jobs and tax-paying workers in California. BIOCOM states, "SB 471 seeks to help insure a highly trained and continuous workforce for the life science industry, including that portion which is involved in the stem cell arena. The life science industry is one of the leading industries in the state in terms of jobs and economic impact, yet is not currently recognized as a priority in education. Currently, education in or recognition of the life sciences is often determined by the proximity of the industry to individual school districts." ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The California Catholic Conference states, "To date after several decades of work, the only successful therapies derived from stem cells have been the result of the type of research that the CIRM will not fund, i.e., research on nonembryonic stem cells. Until CIRM pragmatically directs its funding towards research that has proven effective and away from research that is ideological, e.g., embryonic stem cell research, Californian tax-payer will not see little return on their multi-billion investment." ASSEMBLY FLOOR : AYES: Ammiano, Arambula, Beall, Block, Blumenfield, SB 471 Page 7 Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, Galgiani, Hagman, Hall, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jones, Krekorian, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nava, John A. Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Skinner, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Yamada, Bass NOES: Adams, Anderson, Bill Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Conway, Cook, DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Fuller, Gaines, Garrick, Gilmore, Harkey, Jeffries, Knight, Logue, Miller, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Silva, Smyth, Audra Strickland, Tran, Villines NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Vacancy DLW:do 9/9/09 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****