PRINTER'S NO. 4215
No. 641 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY O'BRIEN, ADOLPH, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BROWNE,
BUNT, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, L. I. COHEN, COSTA, COY, CRUZ,
DALEY, DALLY, D. EVANS, FRANKEL, GABIG, GANNON, GEIST,
HARHAI, HARPER, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HORSEY, JAMES, JOSEPHS,
LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, MAHER, MANN, PIPPY, READSHAW, RUBLEY,
SANTONI, SATHER, SAYLOR, SCHRODER, SEMMEL, SOLOBAY,
T. STEVENSON, STRITTMATTER, E. Z. TAYLOR, J. TAYLOR, TIGUE,
TULLI, WALKO, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, ZUG AND GEORGE,
JULY 1, 2002
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, JULY 1, 2002
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
1 working group, Opportunity in the Age of Biology: Biomedical
2 Research in Pennsylvania; and
3 WHEREAS, The October 2000 report described the status of
4 biomedical research, including academic biomedical research and
5 related biomedical research institutions, in this Commonwealth
6 and analyzed its strengths and weaknesses; and
7 WHEREAS, In the October 2000 report, the working group
8 recommended that these strategic policy actions be considered:
9 (1) To build and maintain the biomedical infrastructure
10 in Pennsylvania's academic and other biomedical research
11 institutions, a Commonwealth Biomedical Research
12 Infrastructure Fund should be established and distributed to
13 the institutions on the basis of their actual National
14 Institutes of Health funding.
15 (2) To aid in the transfer of basic research ideas from
16 research institutions to private biotechnology companies in
17 this Commonwealth for product development, a Commonwealth
18 Biomedical Research Venture Capital Fund should be
19 established.
20 (3) To promote and coordinate regional efforts in
21 biomedical research between academic and other institutions
22 and to build specialized application areas, a virtual
23 institute or system of regional Biomedical Research
24 Institutes should be established.
25 (4) To address the problem of the very high debt load of
26 students graduating from Pennsylvania's medical schools, a
27 Commonwealth Medical Student Debt Relief Program should be
28 established;
29 and
30 WHEREAS, The report of the working group played an important
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1 role in the debate concerning the Tobacco Settlement Act of
2 2001; and
3 WHEREAS, There is a need to ensure that these policy
4 recommendations be further developed and that other policy
5 recommendations be advanced to ensure that Pennsylvania remains
6 in the top tier of biomedical research nationally and to expand
7 the essential role of biomedical research in the economic
8 vitality of the Commonwealth; therefore be it
9 RESOLVED (the Senate concurring), That the House of
10 Representatives direct the Joint State Government Commission to
11 reconstitute the working group formed under 1998 House
12 Concurrent Resolution No. 419 and supplement it with additional
13 members as the working group deems necessary; and be it further
14 RESOLVED, That the working group further develop the policy
15 recommendations made in the October 2000 report and make any
16 additional recommendations deemed necessary to ensure that
17 Pennsylvania remains in the top tier of biomedical research
18 nationally and to expand the essential role of biomedical
19 research in the economic vitality of this Commonwealth; and be
20 it further
21 RESOLVED, That the working group report its findings and
22 recommendations to the General Assembly as soon as possible.
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