Chris Smith: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives will vote to reauthorize the Stem…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives will vote to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act, a law that I authored in 2005. This was an original idea of mine 20 years ago. My good friend from Florida just mentioned Dr. Kurtzberg. Dr. Kurtzberg was in the meetings that we held in drafting this legislation, and she provided incredible insights as to what we should do, what path we should follow. So I appreciate him recognizing her. I also thank Artur Davis, who was my Democratic colleague and the principal Democratic cosponsor of the bill during those several years. It took 5 long years of hard work and numerous setbacks, but the bill was finally signed into law on December 20, 2005. The new law created a nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, derive, type, and freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and even cure serious disease. Pursuant to the law, it also provided stem cells for research. The new cord blood program was combined with an expanded bone marrow initiative, which was crafted over several years by our distinguished colleague, Congressman Bill Young. Umbilical cord blood stem cells, Mr. Speaker, obtained after the birth of a child have proved to be highly efficacious in treating some 70 diseases, including sickle cell disease, lymphoma, leukemia, and in treating metabolic and immune deficiencies.…”