Senate Leadership
March 27, 2007
Williams Welcomes StemConn 2007 Participants
2005 bill provided the $100 million for Connecticut to be competitive
State Senate President Pro Tempore Donald E. Williams, Jr. (D-Brooklyn) today welcomed the worldwide stem cell community to Connecticut for StemConn '07-an international symposium on stem cell research.
"The fact that this symposium is being held here in Connecticut is yet another sign that the state is committed to being competitive in this cutting-edge area of research," Sen. Williams said.
During the 2005 session of the General Assembly, funding proposals for stem cell research-$20 million over two years-were deemed inadequate by Sen. Williams. "The proposals we were seeing were well short of what it would take to ensure Connecticut could make a meaningful entry into stem cell research. That is why I proposed investing $10 million a year for 10 years, for a total of $100 million. It was essential to commit to at least a decade's worth of funding to send the message that researchers could go ahead and build labs, hire researchers and build first-class institutions." he said. Sen. Williams' stem cell research bill passed the legislature and was signed by the governor.
"The research being conducted shows enormous promise in finding cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and more," Sen. Williams said. "For us, as a state, this research is also good for our economy-it creates high-level jobs for contributing members of our communities. It's a 'win-win' for Connecticut-and when the research is developed further, it will be a 'win-win' for thousands of people worldwide who suffer with these diseases."
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Senator Williams’ Larry Cook |
Listing of Leadership’s recent press releases. |
Senator Looney’s Larry Cook |
