BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 714
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 714 (Wieckowski)
As Amended May 24, 2013
2/3 vote
HEALTH 16-2 APPROPRIATIONS 14-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Logue, Ammiano, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bocanegra, |
| |Atkins, Bonilla, Bonta, | |Bradford, Ian Calderon, |
| |Chesbro, Gomez, Roger | |Campos, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Hern�ndez, Bocanegra, | |Hall, Ammiano, Linder, |
| |Mitchell, Nazarian, | |Pan, Quirk, Weber |
| |Nestande, | | |
| |V. Manuel P�rez, Wagner, | | |
| |Wieckowski | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Mansoor, Wilk | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Appropriates $1 million from the General Fund (GF) to the
spinal cord injury (SCI) research fund authorized by the Roman Reed
Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999 (Roman Reed Act).
EXISTING LAW establishes the Roman Reed Act and authorizes the
University of California (UC) to establish a SCI research fund to
accept public and private funds for the purpose of injury research
programs and grants.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
$1 million General Fund (GF) appropriation.
COMMENTS : According to the author, California is home to
approximately 650,000 people living with paralysis, and this number
is increasing steadily. The author states nationally, someone
suffers a traumatic SCI every 41 minutes, adding anywhere from
12,000 to 20,000 new SCI patients annually. According to a report
prepared for AB 1657 (Wieckowski), a similar bill from 2012, a
recent study commissioned by the Christopher and Dana Reeve
Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reveals that approximately 5.6 million Americans are afflicted by
some form of paralysis, and almost 1.3 million individuals are
living with a catastrophic SCI. The report states this is five
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times higher than earlier estimates of the prevalence of SCI in the
United States. The author maintains that the disability, loss of
earning power, and loss of personal freedom resulting from SCI is
devastating for the injured individual and creates a huge financial
burden for the state. The author asserts that associated health
care costs and lost income potential associated with spinal injuries
cost the State of California upwards of $1 billion per year. The
author claims that promising research-driven therapies currently
underway could greatly improve the quality of life and functionality
of individuals with spinal cord injuries and offset a significant
portion of these state costs. The author indicates that the funds
have resulted in remarkable research projects and at least 175
peer-reviewed publications and that discoveries financed by the fund
are in the pipeline toward clinical translation.
The author indicates that state funding for the Roman Reed Fund has
been eliminated, jeopardizing the research that this program
undertakes in spinal cord injuries and paralysis. The author states
that by investing new funds in this research, California can ensure
the continued success of this impressive program and remain a world
leader in neural sciences. This bill, the author maintains, will
provide the critical funding needed to make this program viable. In
conclusion, the author points out that in vetoing AB 1657 in 2012
the Governor indicated that this type of valuable research should be
supported through general fund activities, rather than penalty
assessments on vehicle offenses and this bill addresses that veto
message.
AB 750 (Dutra), Chapter 777, Statutes of 2000, established the Roman
Reed Act to support scientific research related to spinal cord
injuries for five-years and was renewed for an additional five years
through AB 1794 (Dutra), Chapter 414, Statutes of 2004. Over its
10-year history, the fund provided approximately $1.5 million per
year for SCI research in the State of California. The Roman Reed
Act funds were allocated to the University of California (UC), and
administered by the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UC Irvine.
According to the author, between 2000 and 2009, over 300 scientists,
technical staff, and students have participated in 129 Roman Reed
Research projects and that the $15.1 million in state contributions
to the Roman Reed Fund leveraged $84 million in non-state funds,
such as from the National Institutes of Health.
The Roman Reed Program has three components: 1) research grants to
promote innovative, high-impact research projects focusing on SCI or
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nerve cell regeneration. Principal Investigators must be from
institutions within the State of California; 2) the Roman Reed Core
Laboratory which provides a means for investigators who are new to
the field of SCI research to launch novel research projects and
obtain training in SCI research techniques. The main purpose of the
Core Laboratory is to support experiments by scientists with novel
ideas, but who are not yet directly engaged in SCI research in their
own labs; and, 3) an annual meeting fostering collaboration and
communication throughout California, both for scientists and the lay
public. According to Dr. Oswald Steward, the Roman Reed Project
Director, there have been no grants funded by the Roman Reed Spinal
Cord Injury Research Act since 2010 (in other words, no funding from
the Legislature). UC provided funding to continue the grants
program in a modified form for one additional year and it continues
to be called the "Roman Reed Program" for continuity. These funds
were distributed in 2012. A panel of experts from the SCI field
assembled to provide outside peer review of Roman Reed Grant
applications. Submitted grants were evaluated for scientific merit
and the top 10 were funded. A total of $749,311 in grants was
awarded.
Baybio, the California Healthcare Institute, and others write in
support that California is a leader in neurological and SCI
research. Baybio further states in support that if we are to
maintain our prominence in this field of research, additional
funding for SCI research to replace GF contributions must be found
or we risk losing the matching funds and other grants that we
successfully attracted in the recent past. According to supporters,
many discoveries supported by the fund are in the pipeline toward
clinical translation including: 1) the world's first clinical trial
for stem cells for SCI; 2) a treatment initially developed for SCI
in clinical trials for inflammatory bowel disease; and, 3) new
surgical techniques developed to treat people with nerve injuries.
The California Catholic Conference writes in opposition that
although recent amendments have shifted the funding from traffic
fines to the GF, this bill continues the unfortunate policy of
spending money on speculative research. This opposition points out
that at a time in which we have cut funding for our state's safety
net-upon which our poor and vulnerable Californians rely-it is
highly inappropriate to divert money to University researchers.
Analysis Prepared by : Marjorie Swartz / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
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FN:
0000847