ALERT

We are asking Iowans and supporters of the Institute to contact Senator Joe Bolkcom to allow the introduction of Senate File 267 for a vote in the Ways and Means Committee. SF 267 represents a regenerative medicine tax credit of 1 million dollars a year for individual Iowans and businesses to help support adult stem cell research in Iowa for private non-profit organizations. This bill will allow the John Paul II Medical Research Institute to raise funding to support its mission of finding cures by using ethical, non-controversial adult stem cells. The Institute is developing a program to support medical research in regenerative medicine for patients with chronic diseases that are refractory to conventional medical therapy or do not have a medical treatment option. The Institute focuses on finding cures for patients with rare diseases and innovative treatments for cancer patients. The Institute has the endorsement from all Iowa Catholic Bishops, and is endorsed by Iowa and Illinois Knights of Columbus and the Iowa Catholic Conference. The tax credit has the support of the Iowa Biotechnology Association (IBA) and the Association of Iowa Business and Industry. The Institute was recognized in the independent 2011 Batelle Report (page 34) commissioned by the Iowa Legislature and IBA on Iowa biotechnology strenghts.

The Tax Credit has bipartisan support. The bill has passed the Ways and Means Subcommittee and now must come up for a vote in the full committee. We are asking individuals to contact Senator Joe Bolkcom and urge him to introduce this bill to the Ways and Means Committee for a vote. Individuals who call and write to Senator Bolkcom should share with him their personal story of how their illness or their family illness has impacted them and how this bill would help to find treatments and cures.