1.1     A resolution&#10;1.2     urging the passage of the Stem Cell Research Act of 2005.&#10;1.3     WHEREAS, an estimated 128,000,000 Americans suffer from the crippling economic and &#10;1.4     psychological burden of chronic, degenerative, and acute diseases, including diabetes, Parkinson's &#10;1.5     disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; and&#10;1.6     WHEREAS, the costs of treatment and lost productivity caused by chronic, degenerative, &#10;1.7     and acute diseases in the United States constitute hundreds of billions of dollars every year. &#10;1.8     Estimates of the economic costs of these diseases do not account for the extreme human loss and &#10;1.9     suffering associated with these conditions; and&#10;1.10    WHEREAS, stem cell research offers immense promise for developing new medical &#10;1.11    therapies for these debilitating diseases and a critical means to explore fundamental questions &#10;1.12    of biology. Stem cell research could lead to unprecedented treatments and potential cures for &#10;1.13    diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and other diseases; and&#10;1.14    WHEREAS, the United States and Minnesota have historically been a haven for open &#10;1.15    scientific inquiry and technological innovation and this environment, coupled with the &#10;1.16    commitment of public and private resources, has made the United States the preeminent world &#10;1.17    leader in biomedicine and biotechnology; and&#10;1.18    WHEREAS, open scientific inquiry and publicly funded research will be essential to &#10;1.19    realizing the promise of stem cell research. Publicly funded stem cell research, conducted under &#10;1.20    established standards of open scientific exchange, peer review, and public oversight, offers the &#10;1.21    most efficient and responsible means of fulfilling the promise of stem cells to provide regenerative &#10;1.22    medical therapies; and&#10;2.1     WHEREAS, public policy on stem cell research must balance ethical and medical &#10;2.2     considerations. The policy must be based on an understanding of the science associated with stem &#10;2.3     cell research and grounded in a thorough consideration of the ethical concerns regarding this &#10;2.4     research. Public policy on stem cell research must be carefully crafted to ensure that researchers &#10;2.5     have the tools necessary to fulfill the promise of stem cell research; NOW, THEREFORE,&#10;2.6     BE IT RESOLVED by the Legislature of the State of Minnesota  that it urges the Senate of &#10;2.7     the United Sates to pass, and the President of the United States to sign into law, H.R. 810, the &#10;2.8     Stem Cell Research Act of 2005, to provide for human embryonic stem cell research.  &#10;2.9     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of State of the  State of Minnesota is &#10;2.10    directed to prepare copies of this  memorial and transmit them to the President of  the United States, &#10;2.11    the President and the Secretary of the  United States Senate, the Speaker and the Clerk of the United  &#10;2.12    States House of Representatives, and Minnesota's Senators and  Representatives in Congress.&#10;