BILL NUMBER: SB 471 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 31, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JULY 15, 2009
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 28, 2009
AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 6, 2009
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 22, 2009
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 2, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Senators Romero and Steinberg
(Coauthors: Senators Alquist and Padilla)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Brownley, Carter, Eng, Hill,
Solorio, and Torlakson)
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
An act to add Article 13 (commencing with Section 33475) to
Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
relating to education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 471, as amended, Romero. California Stem Cell and Biotechnology
Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009 .
The California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act, an initiative
measure approved by the voters at the November 2, 2004, general
election (Proposition 71), establishes the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the purpose of which is, among other
things, to make grants and loans for stem cell research, for research
facilities, and for other vital research opportunities to realize
therapies, protocols, and medical procedures that will result in the
cure for, or substantial mitigation of, diseases and injuries.
This bill would create the California Stem Cell and Biotechnology
Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009 to establish stem
cell and biotechnology education and workforce development as a state
priority and to promote stronger links among industry sectors, the
CIRM, and California public schools. This bill would require
the State Department of Education, in consultation with the CIRM and
representatives of the biotechnology industry, to promote stem cell
and biotechnology education and workforce development in the
department's existing programs, as specified.
The bill would also require the State
Board of Education to incorporate stem cell science curriculum
content into the science curriculum framework, evaluation criteria,
and instructional materials at its next revision and adoption. The
bill would request that the Regents of the University of California
consult with the CIRM and representatives of the biotechnology
industry in developing curriculum for the California State Summer
School for Mathematics and Science Department of
Education to post certain information on its Internet Web site,
including the CIRM model curriculum on stem cell
science, and to communicate to science teachers and school districts
the availability of this curriculum .
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) If California is to retain its premier position in stem cell
research and fully realize the medical and economic benefits of
regenerative medicine, stronger links are needed between California
public schools and this emerging industry.
(b) At the November 2004 statewide general election, California
voters approved Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and
Cures Initiative, which authorizes $3 billion in state bond funding
for stem cell research at California universities and research
institutions and added Article XXXV to the California Constitution
and Sections 125290.10 et seq. to the Health and Safety Code.
(c) Proposition 71 established a new state agency, the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), to make grants and
provide loans for stem cell research and research facilities.
(d) The ballot pamphlet information and findings and declarations
of Proposition 71 described how stem cell research will lead to the
development of life-saving regenerative treatments and cures for a
variety of incurable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, heart
disease, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord
injuries, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease; and also
benefit the California economy by creating projects, jobs, and
therapies that will generate millions of dollars in new tax revenues
in our state and advance the biotech industry in California to world
leadership as an economic engine for California's future.
(e) The public funding of stem cell research, combined with
significant private donations, has made California the national
leader in stem cell research.
(f) After President Bush limited federal funding for embryonic
stem cell research in 2001, most states eliminated or significantly
reduced stem cell research.
(g) On March 9, 2009, President Obama issued an executive order
lifting restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research,
leading other states to move quickly to try to catch up to
California.
(h) Several recent reports have predicted that California will
soon face a dramatic shortage of trained professionals to fill jobs
in the life sciences sector and a more widespread shortage of college
educated and technically trained workers to meet industry demands.
(i) California's growing gap between supply and demand for
college-educated and technically trained workers is exacerbated by an
alarming high school dropout rate.
(j) Education must be the cornerstone of California's economic
development strategy, and education that is closely linked to the
needs of emerging industries is critical.
(k) The CIRM, in recognition that translating stem cell research
into therapies and cures will require an expanding pool of
individuals with specialized training and skills, has made Bridges to
Stem Cell Research grants to fund research and training activities
for postsecondary students interested in careers in regenerative
medicine.
(l) The CIRM also is developing a "California Stem Cell Education
Initiative" aimed at high schools with the goal of broadly educating
California pupils about stem cell science and regenerative medicine
and creating pathways for careers in the stem cell industry.
(m) The biotechnology industry, in response to an ongoing shortage
of appropriately educated and trained graduates to meet its
workforce requirements, has invested tens of millions of dollars
developing and implementing science and math education programs in
California. An industry group is releasing a comprehensive directory
of these programs as a resource for other schools to implement
similar programs.
(n) In order to ensure that all California pupils have an
opportunity for a career in the stem cell and biotechnology
industries and that California fully realizes the medical and
economic benefits these industries offer, including the benefits made
possible by the substantial public investment California has made in
stem cell research and facilities, all education policymakers and
institutions of public education, and all relevant public agencies
and industry organizations, should collaborate and make it a priority
to increase stem cell and biotechnology education and workforce
development.
SEC. 2. Article 13 (commencing with Section 33475) is added to
Chapter 3 of Part 20 of Division 2 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
to read:
Article 13. The California Stem Cell and Biotechnology
Education and Workforce Development Act of 2009
33475. This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the
California Stem Cell and Biotechnology Education and Workforce
Development Act of 2009.
33475.1. The purpose of this article is to establish stem cell
and biotechnology education and workforce development as a state
priority and to promote stronger links among these industry sectors,
the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and California
public schools.
33475.2. For purposes of this article, the following definitions
shall apply:
(a) "CIRM" means the California Institute for Regenerative
Medicine.
(b) "Department" means the State Department of Education.
33475.3. The department, in consultation with the CIRM and
representatives of the biotechnology industry, shall promote stem
cell and biotechnology education and workforce development in the
department's existing programs, including, but not limited to, all of
the following:
(a) The California Health Science Educators Institute.
(b) The Health Science Capacity Building Project.
(c) The California Partnership Academies, pursuant to Article 5
(commencing with Section 54690) of Chapter 9 of Part 29 of Division
4.
(d) The regional science resource centers, pursuant to Chapter 3.6
(commencing with Section 44770) of Part 25 of Division 3.
(e) The California Career Resource Network, including the State
Agency Partners Committee.
(f) Multiple pathway programs pursuant to Section 52372.5.
(g) The K-12 High Speed Network, pursuant to Section 11800,
including its academic content platform.
33475.4. The department shall post on its Internet Web site, and
as appropriate, on the Internet Web site created pursuant to Section
52499.66, information and links to information about the following:
(a) Biotechnology education programs, including, but not limited
to, those identified by the biotech industry and industry-related
organizations.
(b) The CIRM education initiatives and related stem cell education
and workforce development programs.
33475.5. The state board shall incorporate stem cell science
curriculum content into the science curriculum framework, evaluation
criteria, and instructional materials at its next revision and
adoption.
33475.6. The Regents of the University of California are
requested to consult with the CIRM and representatives of the
biotechnology industry in developing curriculum for the California
State Summer School for Mathematics and Science pursuant to Chapter
3.8 (commencing with Section 8660) of Part 6 of Division 1 of Title
1.
33475.7. It is requested that the Independent Citizens Oversight
Committee, when allocating funds for stem cell research and
facilities pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 125290.10)
of Part 5 of Division 106 of the Health and Safety Code, consider
education and workforce development in addition to other criteria,
with the goal of furthering the purpose of this article.
33475.5. The department shall post on its Internet Web site links
to the CIRM model curriculum on stem cell science and communicate to
science teachers and school districts the availability of this
curriculum.