BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1931
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1931 (Torrico)
As Amended May 28, 2010
2/3 vote
HEALTH 19-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Monning, Fletcher, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Ammiano, Carter, Conway, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Brownley, De Leon, Adams, | |Calderon, Coto, Davis, |
| |Eng, Gaines, Hayashi, | |Monning, Ruskin, Harkey, |
| |Hernandez, Jones, Bonnie | |Miller, Nielsen, Norby, |
| |Lowenthal, Nava, V. | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| |Manuel Perez, Salas, | |Torlakson, Torrico |
| |Smyth, Audra Strickland | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Delays the repeal date for the Spinal Cord Research
Program (Roman Reed Program) and the Spinal Cord Injury Research
Fund (Fund) from January 1, 2011 to January 1, 2016. Requires
monies in the Fund to be expended solely for spinal cord injury
research projects and grants.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of
1999 (Act) effective September 27, 2000.
2)Establishes the Fund which consists of moneys accepted by the
University of California (UC) from private grants and
donations and public moneys transferred to the Fund. Requires
all moneys to remain in the Fund at the end of the fiscal year
and not revert to the General Fund.
3)Continuously appropriates deposited moneys to UC.
4)Requires funds expended under the Act to be utilized for the
award of grants to perform spinal injury research projects,
subject to scientific guidelines and rules established by UC.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill will have no direct General Fund impact.
AB 1931
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COMMENTS : According to the author, California is home to
approximately 646,000 people living with paralysis from various
neurologic conditions. The author states that by extending the
funding for the Roman Reed Program for an additional five years,
this research will make an enormous contribution to those
suffering from spinal cord injury paralysis and will continue to
bring new scientific breakthroughs, jobs, and revenue to
California. The author states that, unfortunately, the Fund and
all of the research and fiscal leverage it provides is set to
expire at the end of this year.
The author further states that a national study completed in
2009 by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation (Reeve Study)
estimates that 1.3 million Americans live with paralysis due to
spinal cord injuries, which is close to five times higher than
previously reported statistics. According to the Reeve Study,
given this increasing number of paralyzed people, rising health
care costs with caregiver needs, and loss of income potential,
the total cost to California could reach $1.5 billion per year.
The author asserts that promising research-driven therapies
could greatly improve the quality of life and functional
capacity of individuals with spinal cord injuries, thereby
lessening this tremendous financial burden to the State.
The Roman Reed Program, administered by the Reeve-Irvine
Research Center at UC, Irvine was established by the Act in 2000
then renewed in 2005 by the Legislature to study injuries to and
diseases of the spinal cord that result in paralysis or other
loss of neurologic function. According to the Roman Reed
Program the Act funds critical research to improve the quality
of life to the 646,000 people in Californians living with
paralysis. In the nine years since the Roman Reed Program was
established, $13.9 million in state funds have been allocated.
Added to that is about $60 million in federal matching grants
and other sources to fund spinal cord injury research in
California. These funds are allocated to UC which in return
allocates to the Reeve-Irvine Research Center to administer the
funds.
The Roman Reed Program reports that between 2000 and 2009 over
300 Californians have participated in 120 Roman Reed Research
projects and provided the first state-funded embryonic stem cell
research in the nation. During that time, 64 graduate students
have been supported as Roman Reed Fellows.
AB 1931
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Don C. Reed, father of Roman Reed, the Chabot College football
player who suffered crushed vertebrae during a game and founder
of the Roman Reed Program, along with numerous organizations and
individual supporters write that "Roman's Law" has 175 published
scientific papers, two patents pending, and several major
scientific breakthroughs. Mr. Reed states that the Act has
brought the cure closer for paralysis, traumatic brain injury,
muscular dystrophy, stroke, spinal atrophy, and more.
Analysis Prepared by : Patty Rodgers / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
FN: 0004621