HS/HCS/SS/SCS/SB 226 - This act creates a Life Sciences Research Program within the Department of Health, to be administered by the Department with recommendations from an eight member Life Sciences Research Board. Members of the Board shall represent each of the specified regional centers for excellence. A temporary Life Sciences Citizens' Committee shall establish the organization and structure of the initial centers for excellence.

The Board shall distribute grants to increase the capacity and infrastructure for, and improve the quantity and quality of, life science research in the state. In determining projects to authorize, the Board shall consider those endorsed by a center for excellence, established in the act, subject to peer review. The act contains limits on the amounts that organizations with a single center for excellence may receive. The Board may make provisions for peer review panels to research and review grant proposals.

Centers for excellence for life sciences research may be established by the Board, and if established, shall represent the areas of St. Louis and Kansas City, and for the University of Missouri system, to be regional consortiums of public and private not-for-profit academic, research or health care institutions engaged in competitive research in targeted fields. The Board may establish additional geographic areas within the state for such centers, upon making specified findings.

The act establishes the Life Sciences Research Fund. The Board shall control the management of moneys in the Fund, which shall be annually audited.

Grant recipients shall have the duty to ensure timely disclosure of their research findings to the scientific community, and to promote public availability of their inventions and other intellectual property developed in the performance of research funded by a grant award. Institutions or organizations receiving grant awards shall retain intellectual property rights, but the Life Sciences Board is authorized to adopt reasonable regulations to insure that intellectual property rights are utilized in the public interest.

The act also provides that no more than $500,000 of the total amount of Missouri small business tax credits shall be used for certain enterprises engaged solely in pharmaceutical research and development.

The act is similar to HB 555.
JOAN GUMMELS

HA 1 - SETS MINIMUM AMOUNTS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO PROPOSALS RECOMMENDED BY CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. REQUIRES ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH CENTERS. CLARIFIES DEPARTMENT AND BOARD DUTIES.

HSA 1 for HA 2 - PROHIBITS USE OF FUNDS FOR ABORTION SERVICES, HUMAN CLONING OR SPECIFIED PROHIBITED HUMAN RESEARCH.

HSA 1 for HA 3 - PROVIDES FOR DISPOSITION OF TOBACCO CLAIM PAYMENTS INTO HEALTH CARE TRUST FUND WITH VARIOUS ACCOUNTS. REVISES LIFE SCIENCES RESEARCH FUND TO REFERENCE LIFE SCIENCES AND MEDICAL RESEARCH ACCOUNT.

HA 4 - REQUIRES ANNUAL TRANSFER OF $400,000 TO THE MISSOURI HIGHER EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP DONATION FUND, TO SUPPORT GRADUATE STUDIES IN CERTAIN FIELDS.

HA 5 - CORRECTS INTERSECTIONAL REFERENCES.