Legislative Hotline
2006 SESSION OF THE
MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Volume
13, Number 11����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� April 5, 2006
Here are some of the hot issues
as the 2006 Legislative Session develops:
CAPITAL BUDGET
OPERATING BUDGET
STEM CELL RESEARCH
It has been a monumental week in
The General Assembly passed the FY2007 capital budget
on Tuesday, March 28, 2006.� The fact
that the budget passed on the 76th day of the session is very unusual (last
year’s budget passed only minutes before the conclusion of the session)
and represents a high level of cooperation between the two chambers, as well as
a significant amount of hard work.
Also unprecedented was the Senate’s action that
increased the State’s support for Johns Hopkins Medicine’s capital
projects by $20 million in one fiscal year; their action brought the capital
project to the $75 million threshold needed for this year.� The House of Delegates also committed to the
$20 million increase.� That legislative
increase combined with the administration’s investment brought the total
state commitment for FY07 to $32.5 million for the Johns Hopkins Medicine
hospital project.
Johns Hopkins also requested $3 million for the
School of Nursing/Berman Bioethics Institute, which is one of three MICUA
capital grant project requests totaling $9 million for FY07.� Although the Governor’s budget included
$2.67 million for the
The
$711,157,833 capital budget also included an unprecedented $322 million for
school construction.
The Maryland General Assembly also approved a $29.4
billion spending plan for FY 2007.� Items
of particular significance in the operating budget for the Johns Hopkins
Institutions include full funding of the Sellinger
Aid Program, which translates to $21 million in FY07 for Johns Hopkins.� This represents an 11% increase over FY06.
The Cigarette Restitution Fund programs at Johns
Hopkins were funded at their FY05 levels of $2.47 million for the cancer
research grant and $1.2 million for the public health grant.� The cancer research grant received a 50%
increase over last year’s appropriation and the public health grant was
level funded. �In addition, a deficiency
appropriation includes restoration of $600,000 of the FY06 cut for the cancer
research grant.
Additionally, the operating budget includes a provision that freezes tuition at
state colleges for one year, as well as a two percent average raise for most
state works with 11.3% for correctional officers.� The budget does not include any new taxes or
tax cuts, but does include $870 million in rainy day funds to help balance
future budgets.
The Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 passed in
the House of Delegates on Wednesday, March 29th and
is awaiting the Governor’s signature.� Governor Ehrlich has indicated publicly that
he intends to pass this bill, which must be signed within seven days.�
The bill will create a Maryland Stem Cell Research
Fund, supporting both adult and embryonic stem cell research.� It does not require a specified annual
appropriation to support the Fund, which will be administered by the Maryland
Technology Development Corporation (TEDCo).� The bill also establishes a Stem Cell
Research Commission, which will advise TEDCo on
adoption of regulations, grant procedures and criteria.��
The Commission will be comprised of 15 members as
follows:
- Two individuals who work as scientists for the
University System of Maryland and do not engage in stem cell research,
appointed by the University System of Maryland;
- Two individuals who work as scientists for The
Johns Hopkins University and do not engage in stem cell research,
appointed by The Johns Hopkins University;
- Two bioethicists, one
appointed by the University System of Maryland and one appointed by The
Johns Hopkins University.
The remaining 9 appointments will be made by the
Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House and the
Attorney General from a list of categories of individuals such as patient
advocates, individuals with biotechnology experience and individuals with
expertise in biomedical ethics as it relates to religion.
Similar to the structure of the
The bill prohibits human cloning, defined as the
“replication of a human being through the production of a precise genetic
copy of a nuclear human DNA or any other human molecule, cell, or tissue, in
order to create a new human being or to allow development beyond an
embryo.”� The bill also prohibits
the use of human oocytes in state funded research,
which is to say that state funds may not be used for research involving Somatic
Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT), although SCNT is not prohibited.�
Any person who violates the provisions of the bill
concerning human cloning will be guilty of a felony and subject to a maximum
penalty of 10 years in prison or a $200,000 fine, or both.� The bill also prohibits the sale, transfer,
or acquisition of human embryos for valuable consideration.�
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STAFF CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact Government Relations if you have concerns or would like
additional information. Your input assists us greatly in evaluating and
formulating the position of Johns Hopkins on all legislation.
Legislative Session Office
410-269-0057
fax 410-269-1574
Heather Barthel������������������� [email protected]
Mickey Geisler��������������������� [email protected]
Jessica Hendrix������������������ [email protected]
Sheila Higdon��������������������� [email protected]
Bret Schreiber��������������������� [email protected]
Tom Lewis���������������������������� [email protected]
Nicole
Xander��������������������� [email protected]
Cathy Ximenez������������������� [email protected]
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