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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 820, the ``Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act,'' would continue critical federal support for the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program. This program includes the Be the Match registry for bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplantation which continues to provide hope to people in need of a lifesaving transplants.
Each year thousands of patients in need of life saving transplants are unable to find a match within their family and therefore require a nonrelative donor. That is why the Be the Match Registry and its nearly 12.5 million registered bone marrow donors and collection of more than 209,000 cord blood units is so important. The Program also supports the collection and use of transplantation data to advance medical research.
I'd like to thank Representative DORIS MATSUI for her leadership in this area and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2820 to ensure that the lifesaving Be the Match registry continues.
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