PRINTER'S NO. 1072
No. 151 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY O'BRIEN, LEDERER, T. STEVENSON, BEBKO-JONES,
THOMAS, GRUCELA, PISTELLA, TIGUE, BARRAR, COY, HERMAN,
CAPPELLI, LAUGHLIN, PIPPY, WOJNAROSKI, SATHER, JOSEPHS,
CIVERA, PAYNE, CURRY, HERSHEY, READSHAW, SCHRODER, KIRKLAND,
E. Z. TAYLOR, CRUZ, ZUG, WASHINGTON, ROSS, HARHART, LEACH,
HORSEY, PALLONE, CORRIGAN, SHANER AND SEMMEL, MARCH 19, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, MARCH 19, 2003
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct an
2 additional study on the importance of biomedical research in
3 Pennsylvania and report its findings to the General Assembly.
4 WHEREAS, 1998 House Concurrent Resolution No. 419 directed
5 the Joint State Government Commission to establish a working
6 group comprised of individuals with expertise in biomedical
7 research, health care, economic development and higher education
8 to assess the level and nature of biomedical research currently
9 conducted by the Commonwealth's universities and teaching
10 hospitals and to recommend specific actions for increasing
11 Pennsylvania's share of Federal and private sector biomedical
12 research funding to enhance the Commonwealth's health care
13 system as well as contribute to the economy; and
14 WHEREAS, In October 2000, the Joint State Government
15 Commission presented to the General Assembly the report of the
16 working group, Opportunity in the Age of Biology: Biomedical
1 Research in Pennsylvania; and
2 WHEREAS, The October 2000 report described the status of
3 biomedical research, including academic biomedical research and
4 related biomedical research institutions, in this Commonwealth
5 and analyzed its strengths and weaknesses; and
6 WHEREAS, In the October 2000 report, the working group
7 recommended that these strategic policy actions be considered:
8 (1) To build and maintain the biomedical infrastructure
9 in Pennsylvania's academic and other biomedical research
10 institutions, a Commonwealth Biomedical Research
11 Infrastructure Fund should be established and distributed to
12 the institutions on the basis of their actual National
13 Institutes of Health funding.
14 (2) To aid in the transfer of basic research ideas from
15 research institutions to private biotechnology companies in
16 this Commonwealth for product development, a Commonwealth
17 Biomedical Research Venture Capital Fund should be
18 established.
19 (3) To promote and coordinate regional efforts in
20 biomedical research between academic and other institutions
21 and to build specialized application areas, a virtual
22 institute or system of regional Biomedical Research
23 Institutes should be established.
24 (4) To address the problem of the very high debt load of
25 students graduating from Pennsylvania's medical schools, a
26 Commonwealth Medical Student Debt Relief Program should be
27 established;
28 and
29 WHEREAS, The report of the working group played an important
30 role in the debate concerning the Tobacco Settlement Act of
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1 2001; and
2 WHEREAS, There is a need to ensure that these policy
3 recommendations be further developed and that other policy
4 recommendations be advanced to ensure that Pennsylvania remains
5 in the top tier of biomedical research nationally and to expand
6 the essential role of biomedical research in the economic
7 vitality of the Commonwealth; therefore be it
8 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the House of
9 Representatives direct the Joint State Government Commission to
10 reconstitute the working group formed under 1998 House
11 Concurrent Resolution No. 419 and supplement it with additional
12 members as the working group deems necessary; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the working group further develop the policy
14 recommendations made in the October 2000 report and make any
15 additional recommendations deemed necessary to ensure that
16 Pennsylvania remains in the top tier of biomedical research
17 nationally and to expand the essential role of biomedical
18 research in the economic vitality of this Commonwealth; and be
19 it further
20 RESOLVED, That the working group report its findings and
21 recommendations to the General Assembly as soon as possible.
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