- New Jersey passed a 2004 law that allows stem cell research, requiring each research activity to be studied by an institutional review board. That law also makes it a crime to engage in or assist human cloning efforts.

- Other states, such as Wisconsin, are still deciding how they will allocate funds for stem cell research and are developing official state policies on the subject.

Massachusetts has been at the center of the fray, as lawmakers who support stem cell research have advanced several pieces of legislation designed to bolster the state's biotech industry. One bill, S.B. 25, would foster research using human embryonic stem cells, human embryonic germ cells, placental and umbilical cord cells and human adult stem cells. The bill is currently in the Joint Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee.

To make tracking legislation relating to stem cell research, and other specific issues easier, Verispan created StateLine(TM) Issue Reports: issue-specific legislative reports that allow clients to conveniently track proposed and enacted legislation dealing with specific issues. Rather than searching through legislation across all 50 states, clients can conveniently track proposed and enacted legislation dealing with specific topics with Issue Reports. These reports can be purchased individually, depending on client interests or needs, and help keep clients aware of the changing legislative world, in easy to read, easy to access documents delivered via email.

Verispan Government Affairs has been monitoring state pharmaceutical and healthcare issues for more than 15 years. In addition to StateLine(TM) Issue Reports, the department also provides services that track pertinent legislation and regulations, quantify the impact of Medicaid preferred drug lists and formulary changes, and guide manufacturers as they assess the impact of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

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