House Faces Vote Wednesday on Stem Cell Research Compromise
State House News Service
       A conference committee report proposing legislation to sanction embryonic stem cell research is the only new matter before the House when it convenes at 11 am Wednesday for a full formal session.
       The report, the product of a six-member House-Senate conference committee, was approved last week in the Senate by a 34-2 margin. The House approved its own version of the bill on a vote of 117-37 on March 31. Gov. Mitt Romney is expected to either veto the bill or send it back with amendments. Romney says he supports stem cell research, but opposes the creation of embryos for stem cell research and eventual destruction.
       The conference committee report, officially known as a bill relative to enhancing regenerative medicine in the Commonwealth, is S 2039. House Steering and Policy Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Donato (D-Medford) says the bill is the only matter that the committee has signed off on in advance of Wednesday session.