(Washington, D.C.)–Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) today called on Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to schedule a Senate vote on S. 471, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, sponsored by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed nearly identical legislation (H.R. 810) by a bipartisan vote of 238 to 194.

“Although I respect the compromise that the President sought to offer to our nation’s scientists in August 2001,” Langevin wrote, “I remain convinced that our government must support and oversee further research into this promising field that could offer countless people new hope. I therefore urge you to schedule a vote in the United States Senate on S. 471, the companion bill to H.R. 810, as soon as possible.”

Three years ago, the Bush Administration enacted restrictive regulations that allow federal funding for research solely on those stem cell lines derived prior to August 2001. Earlier this year, Langevin and Representatives Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced the bi-partisan Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health to fund research on stem cell lines derived after August 9, 2001. Under the bill, only those excess embryonic stem cells derived from in vitro fertilization and slated for destruction could be used for research, with government oversight to ensure ethical research procedures.

The letter further states: “Millions of Americans are suffering from diseases and chronic conditions for which this research holds the promise of treatments or cures, and a majority of the American public favors the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding embryonic stem cell research. We simply must provide our nation’s scientists with the tools they need to proceed down this historic path. This research represents the most noble activity in which our government can engage: the protection, promotion, and, indeed, affirmation of the lives of our most vulnerable citizens.”

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