Michigan news: Senate passes bill to monitor stem cell research
COMPILED FROM REPORTS BY DAWSON BELL, TODD SPANGLER AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LANSING: Senate passes bill to monitor stem cell research
The Michigan Senate approved legislation Wednesday to monitor and regulate research using stem cells derived from human embryos.
Backers of the measure said it was designed to implement a 2008 ballot proposal that lifted the state's ban on research that results in the destruction of embryos, and should ensure that the intent of voters who approved the measure is followed. But opponents said it is a thinly disguised effort to nullify the ballot proposal that will undermine research efforts.
The primary stem cell regulatory bill was approved 25-12, with four Democrats joining all but one Republican in the majority. But House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, issued a statement criticizing the legislation and suggesting the Democratic majority in the House is unlikely to act upon it.
Feds grant $30 million for energy efficiency
Michigan is to receive $30 million to retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient, the White House said Wednesday, as part of $452 million in stimulus funds being spent on the program nationwide.
The money is to go to the Michigan Collaborative Retrofit Ramp-Up Initiative, designed to generate interest in energy efficiency improvements, educate workers and help lenders willing to invest in retrofitting buildings.
The initiative is to work through a Neighborhood Retrofit Program throughout the state and the Detroit Commercial Centers Program.
