ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
biotechnology research;
appropriation
(NOW: biotechnology research)
Purpose
Appropriates $500,000 annually for ten years beginning in FY 2002-2003 from the health research fund for a biotechnology medical research foundation.
According to the Health Sciences Center at the University of Arizona (UA), biomedical research is the fastest growing economic and fiscal sector of the U.S. industry – doubling to $47 billion between 1993 and 1999 while biomedical patents increased ten fold to 10,000 per year between 1985 and 1998. Following the complete sequencing of the human genome in 2000, biomedical researchers have been working to convert the genome sequence into medical breakthroughs. In particular, a group of 18 universities and medical research groups formed the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) to investigate cures for diseases based on human genome research. Some of this research was performed in Arizona.
Recently, UA, Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University agreed to form the Arizona Biomedical Bioscience Institutes (ABBI) with the intent to pool resources, recruit faculty and build biotechnology research laboratories to create academic and research programs that develop new genome-based diagnostic and therapeutic products. The ABBI is a collaborative effort that includes the Board of Regents, the Mayo Clinic, Barrow Neurological Institute, Scottsdale Healthcare, the Flinn Foundation and the City of Phoenix.
The IGC is looking at different locations around the country to move its headquarters. The universities believe the IGC and ABBI can increase the amount of federal research monies coming into Arizona, bring new biomedical-related industry to this State and attract new faculty to Arizona. S.B. 1270 appropriates $500,000 annually for ten years beginning in FY 2002-2003 from the health research fund for a nonprofit biotechnology medical research foundation.
1. Appropriates $500,000 each year from FY 2002-2003 through FY 2011-2012 from the health research fund to the Disease Control Research Commission (Commission) to allocate to a nonprofit medical research foundation specializing in biotechnology research and collaborating with other public and private biotechnology businesses in Arizona.
2. Requires dollar-for-dollar matching monies for the allocation.
3. Exempts the allocation from the procurement code and solicitation and award of grant requirements.
4. Requires the recipient of the allocation to commission an audit of the expenditure of the monies and submit a copy of the audit to the Commission by December 31 of each year.
5. Reverts unexpended monies to the Commission within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year.
6. Requires the Commission to notify the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate if the Commission does not allocate the monies to a nonprofit medical research foundation by January 1, 2005.
7. Repeals the nonprofit medical research foundation funding program on December 31, 2012.
8. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
· The strike everything amendment was adopted.
· The strike everything amendment was adopted.
Senate Action
HEA 3/12/02 DPA/SE 5-1-2-0
APPROP 3/19/02 DP 10-0-2-0
3rd Read 4/1/02 24-3-3
Prepared by Senate Staff
April 17, 2002