House Bill 2337

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2337

        By the Committee on Health Care Services and
    Representative Peaden





  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Public Cord Blood Tissue

  3         Bank; creating the Public Cord Blood Tissue

  4         Bank as a statewide consortium; providing

  5         purposes, membership, and duties of the

  6         consortium; providing duties of the Agency for

  7         Health Care Administration; providing

  8         requirements of specified state-funded health

  9         care programs; providing an exception from

10         provisions of the act; requiring specified

11         written disclosure by certain health care

12         facilities and providers; specifying that

13         donation under the act is voluntary;

14         authorizing the consortium to charge fees;

15         providing appropriations; providing an

16         effective date.

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18         WHEREAS, research has shown that the blood from

19  umbilical cords can serve as an important alternative source

20  for stem and progenitor cells for bone marrow transplants, and

21         WHEREAS, people needing a bone marrow transplant often

22  cannot find a suitable donor because there must be a very

23  close match between the donor's tissue and the recipient's

24  tissue, and

25         WHEREAS, because of unique genetic concerns, ethnic

26  minorities often have difficulty finding a matched unrelated

27  bone-marrow donor when a matching sibling donor is not

28  available, and

29         WHEREAS, when umbilical cord blood is used, there is

30  not the need for as close a match as with an adult donor, so

31  the chances of a suitable match are greatly increased, and

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2337

    169-454-00






  1         WHEREAS, because umbilical cord blood is ordinarily

  2  discarded, such transplants use a stem cell source that

  3  otherwise would go to waste, NOW, THEREFORE,

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  5  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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  7         Section 1.  PUBLIC CORD BLOOD TISSUE BANK.--

  8         (1)  There is established a statewide consortium to be

  9  known as the Public Cord Blood Tissue Bank. The Public Cord

10  Blood Tissue Bank is established as a nonprofit legal entity

11  to collect, screen for infectious and genetic diseases,

12  perform tissue typing, cryopreserve, and store umbilical cord

13  blood as a resource to the public.  The University of Florida,

14  the University of South Florida, and the University of Miami

15  shall jointly form the collaborative consortium, each working

16  with community resources such as regional blood banks,

17  hospitals, and other health care providers to develop local

18  and regional coalitions for the purposes set forth in this

19  act.  The three universities shall align their outreach

20  programs and activities to all geographic areas of the state,

21  covering the entire state.  The consortium is encouraged to

22  conduct outreach and research for Hispanics, African

23  Americans, Native Americans, and other ethnic and racial

24  minorities.

25         (2)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall

26  develop and make available to all health care providers

27  information relating to and standardized release forms for

28  donation of umbilical cord blood. The agency and the

29  Department of Health shall encourage health care providers,

30  including, but not limited to, hospitals, birthing facilities,

31  county health departments, physicians, midwives, and nurses,

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2337

    169-454-00






  1  to disseminate information about the Public Cord Blood Tissue

  2  Bank.

  3         (3)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall

  4  develop training materials for agencies and state employees

  5  working with pregnant women to educate and inform pregnant

  6  women about the public cord blood tissue bank program.

  7         (4)  All state-funded health care programs providing

  8  education or services to pregnant women shall provide

  9  information on the Public Cord Blood Tissue Bank program.

10  Information regarding this program shall be provided by, but

11  not be limited to, the Healthy Start program, county health

12  departments, Medicaid, and MediPass.

13         (5)  Nothing in this act creates a requirement of any

14  health care or services program that is directly affiliated

15  with a bona fide religious denomination that includes as an

16  integral part of its beliefs and practices the tenet that

17  blood transfer is contrary to the moral principles the

18  denomination considers to be an essential part of its beliefs.

19         (6)  Any health care facility or health care provider

20  receiving financial remuneration for the collection of

21  umbilical cord blood shall provide written disclosure of this

22  information to any woman postpartum or parent of a newborn

23  from whom the umbilical cord blood is collected prior to the

24  harvesting of the umbilical cord blood.

25         (7)  All women admitted to a hospital or birthing

26  facility for obstetrical services may be offered the

27  opportunity to donate umbilical cord blood to the Public Cord

28  Blood Tissue Bank.  No woman shall be required to make such a

29  donation.

30         (8)  The consortium may charge reasonable rates and

31  fees to recipients of cord blood tissue bank products.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2337

    169-454-00






  1         Section 2.  There is appropriated from the General

  2  Revenue Fund jointly to the University of Florida, the

  3  University of South Florida, and the University of Miami the

  4  sum of $1.9 million to fund the statewide consortium Public

  5  Cord Blood Tissue Bank.

  6         Section 3.  There is appropriated from the General

  7  Revenue Fund to the Agency for Health Care Administration the

  8  sum of $50,000 to develop standardized release forms and

  9  training and education materials for the Public Cord Blood

10  Tissue Bank.

11         Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2000                HB 2337

    169-454-00






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  2                          HOUSE SUMMARY

  3
      Creates the Public Cord Blood Tissue Bank as a nonprofit
  4    statewide consortium consisting of the University of
      Florida, the University of South Florida, and the
  5    University of Miami for the purpose of collecting,
      screening for infectious and genetic diseases, tissue
  6    typing, cryopreserving, and storing umbilical cord blood
      as a resource to the public.  Requires the consortium to
  7    align outreach programs and activities to all areas of
      the state.
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  9    Requires the Agency for Health Care Administration to
      develop and make available to all health care providers
10    information and standardized release forms relating to
      the tissue bank.  Requires the agency to develop
11    specified training materials and perform educational and
      informational duties with respect to the Public Cord
12    Blood Tissue Bank program.

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      Requires all state-funded health care programs to provide
14    information on the tissue bank program.  Provides an
      exception to the provisions of the act for specified
15    religious affiliates.  Requires written disclosure by
      health care providers or facilities who receive financial
16    remuneration for the collection of umbilical cord blood.
      Specifies that donation under the act is voluntary.
17    Authorizes the consortium to charge reasonable fees to
      recipients of blood tissue bank products.
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19    Provides a $1.9 million appropriation for the creation of
      the Public Cord Blood Tissue Bank.  Provides a $50,000
20    appropriation to the Agency for Health Care
      Administration to develop release forms and training and
21    educational materials required by the act.

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