Senator Orrin Hatch’s Vote and Rationale on the Bill

A requirement of this assignment was to research a member of the HELP committee and their vote on this bill.  I chose Senator Orrin Hatch (R) from Utah, the sponsor of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010.  As the sponsor of this bill, Senator Hatch obviously supports this bill, and voted yes in the passage of the bill through the Senate.  In presenting the bill to Congress, Senator Hatch stated, “this subject is near and dear to my heart” (Library of Congress, Congressional Record, 2011).  His goal in sponsoring and obtaining passage of this bill is to ensure all patients are given the best possible options for treatment of diseases.  He believes it is his duty to continue to provide all options to patients by “ensuring a strong future for bone marrow and cord blood transplantation in this country” (Library of Congress, Congressional Record, 2011).  Senator Hatch is a firm believer patients who are in need of transplants deserve nothing less than the best and with the passage of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010, it is the beginning of the pathway in being successful in this arena.