Six days from now, Tuesday the 26th, a small state bill will be heard in Sacramento, California. It sounds like nothing, just a small adjustment to traffic tickets. However...
Small but powerful, like the near-invisible DNA patterns which shape our lives, this little bill, Assembly Bill 190 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont) may change the lives of literally millions of Americans-- the 5.6 million paralyzed citizens and their families-- and everybody else who has to pay the Medi-Cal or Medicare bills it takes to keep them alive.
Re: bio-med important bill (AB 190) at Sacramento hearing next Tuesday—emails needed!
Dear Biomed Friend:
If you come to the California stem cell program meetings (and you should!) you probably know me, the gray-haired patient advocate, usually sitting in the back of the room taking notes.
My son Roman Reed was paralyzed in a college football accident in 1994, and I have been working for cure research funding ever since. I served on board of directors of the campaign to pass Proposition 71, and have been a part of virtually all stem cell or biomedical support legislations, local, out-of-state or national. I am currently Vice-President for Public Policy for Americans for Cures Foundation.
A law named after my son, the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act, funded $14.6 million in California research, as well as attracting $63.8 million in add-on grants from the NIH and other sources.
Some of the projects we funded have changed the biomedical field. Geron’s human trials for spinal cord injury began with a Roman Reed grant to Dr. Hans Keirstead, now of California Stem Cells, Inc. A cell-sorting device by Dr. Ed Monuki was developed and made small enough to fit in a Petri dish. 175 peer-edited published papers became pieces of the paralysis puzzle-- and laid groundwork for startups.
Last year the funding was removed from the Roman Reed Act—this year we are trying to put it back-- with a non-tax funding source.
AB 190 (Wieckowski, D-Fremont) would assess a $3 fine increase to reckless drivers. It is a reasonable way to fund spinal cord injury research, as car crash is a leading cause of the devastating condition.
AB 190 is endorsed by the California Health Institute, the UC system, the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and other biomed-friendly organizations.
Would you send a brief e-mail of support on behalf of AB 190? Here are committee members.
Emails should go to:
misa.yokoi-shelton@asm.ca.gov (aide for Committee Chair Tom Ammiano,
Heidi.jensen@asm.ca.gov (aide for Committee Vice Chair Steve Knight
gibran.maciel@asm.ca.gov (aide for Jerry Hill)
luis.d.quinonez@asm.ca.gov (aide for Gilbert Cedillo)
tiffany.jones@asm.ca.gov (aide for Holly Mitchell)
victoria.stewart@asm.ca.gov (aide for Curt Hagman)
Sandra.trevino@asm.ca.gov (aide for Nancy Skinner)
-and a copy to me and Bob Wieckowski’s aide in charge of the effort Jeff.barbosa@asm.ca.gov.
The Public Safety Committee will hear the bill next Tuesday, April 26th, at 9:30. Join us!
Thank you,
Don C. Reed
Citizen-sponsor, Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act