Massachusetts Funds Embryonic Stem Cell Research
State funding programs for embryonic stem cell research continue to be established: "Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill on Monday that will direct $1 billion of state funds toward biotechnology over 10 years ... Patrick said the money would support research grants and strengthen facilities used by both public and private scientists. ... Patrick's plan includes $250 million in tax incentives to encourage companies to expand, $250 million in grants for research, fellowships or workforce training, and $500 million for infrastructure, including a stem cell bank at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. ... Polls have shown a majority of the U.S. public back stem cell research, which scientists believe could one day be used to provide individually tailored tissue and organ transplants, or repair spinal cord injuries." This has been in the works for a while, and may be followed by others in still more states; it's a popular cause that involves giving out large sums of money. That always catches the eye of politicians, for all the obvious reasons.
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080616/tc_nm/usa_stemcells_massachusetts_dc_3