U.S. lawmakers plan to use the first hours of the new 110th Congress, convening today (January 4), to assemble legislation to extend Federal research funding to newly derived stem cell lines. President George Bush vetoed the measure in July 2006 after it had passed the Senate and House with wide bipartisan support. The House failed to muster the necessary two-thirds votes to override the veto, a hurdle supporters hope to surmount this year. While details were still being worked out last night, the plan as of press time is for bill sponsors Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) and Mike Castle (R-Del.) to reintroduce an identical version of their "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005" in the House tomorrow (Jan. 5), and for Senators Thomas Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) to submit the identical measure as early as today. The bills will be numbered HR 3 and S 5, respectively."Human...

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