A key House committee has voted to cut the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund to $15 million in fiscal 2009. It’s an $8 million cut, so I wouldn’t imagine the scientific community is jumping for joy, but it leaves $10 million more for the fund than the Senate version of the budget..
The fund supports medical research using stem cells, and got $23 million from the state this year. Gov. Martin O’Malley proposed to maintain that level of funding in fiscal 2009.
Neither house has passed a final budget bill, but if things stay like this, they’ll have to work this out in conference.
As Karen Buckelew and I reported last week, research advocates have said they’d be okay with $15 million. That’s how much was in the fund in fiscal 2007, its first year of existence.
