Stem cells: round 2 at appropriations
So Rep. Earl Jones stem cell research squeaked through the House Appropriations Committee today on a 31-30. (Actual bill here.)
So it was bit odd to hear the bill back on Thursday's Appropriations Committee calendar.
"There was some ambiguity as to what the vote was," said Jones, a Greensboro Democrat. Translation: some folks think the vote total was a mistake and would saddle the bill with a bad name when it came to the floor. So the committee is re-voting the bill.
Substance-wise: the bill no long contains funding for stem cell research, but sets up a committee and structure through which funding could be doled out. It also sets up some guidelines for doing research with state funding.
Jones said he believes once the mechanism is there, funding will follow - either in the form of an appropriation or maybe, he suggested, a bond referendum.
He predicted smooth sailing for the bill in committee tomorrow but a vigorous debate later.
"The show is going to be on the floor," he said, suggesting that the full House debate would be "where the education happens."
Don't you love it when the honorables speak in euphemisms?
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