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PACHOLCZYK TESTIFIES ON STEM CELL BILL

Testimony by Fr. Tadeusz Pacholczyk before a state senate committee hearing on the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act may have helped influence committee members to strike the funding requirement from the bill.

Senate Bill 144 was dually assigned to the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs and the Budget and Taxation committees, which held a joint hearing on it on January 21.

“The B and T people knew it was a hot issue.  They were very interested,” said Kathy Szeliga, chief of staff for Sen. Andy Harris.

“Father Tad’s testimony was so good!” she added.  “He was very eloquent.  He handled the philosophical and scientific questions beautifully.”

After the hearing, the Budget and Taxation Committee stripped wording in the bill requiring annual funding of at least $25 million.  

They inserted wording that the governor “may” include an appropriation for the Stem Cell Research Fund in the annual budget, and that the Maryland Technology Development Corporation will administer the fund.

Gov. Robert Ehrlich has proposed including $20 million in the state budget for stem cell research, with the corporation administering the funding.

The technology group has worked to provide funds to Maryland companies that are involved in adult stem cell research.