Patrick makes pitch for $1 billion, 10-year biotech initiative
BOSTON --Gov. Deval Patrick testified Tuesday that Massachusetts was on the verge of losing its grip on a key industry if lawmakers fail to act on his 10-year, $1 billion life sciences initiative.
Patrick, testifying before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, warned that other states and countries -- from California to China -- were eyeing Massachusetts' "unrivaled concentration of biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device expertise."
Unless Massachusetts works quickly to protect the biotechnology industry, the state's status as a worldwide leader could evaporate, along with thousands of jobs and a revitalized economy, he said.
"As we gather here today, our competitors are actively luring our state's best and brightest researchers, doctors and entrepreneurs," Patrick warned. "The threat is real and the stakes are high."
Patrick had expressed frustration in recent weeks with what he's described as the slow pace of lawmakers to act on his key initiatives, like the life sciences bill.
On Tuesday he sounded less confrontational, but still urged lawmakers to act quickly.
The bill includes $500 million in capital funds to create a Massachusetts Stem Cell Bank and a research center to build on the work of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Craig Mello at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It also includes $15 million for smaller research and business grants.
The bank would be the world's largest repository of new stem cells lines.
As evidence of the urgency of the initiative, Patrick pointed to recent plans by drug maker
"But our inaction on this proposal over many months caused them to abandon those plans here and focus instead on other states," Patrick said.
Lawmakers said they were also interested in protecting the industry, but needed time to review the complex, and expensive, initiative.
Sen. Jack Hart, D-Boston, co-chair of the committee, said lawmakers want to study the bill and help fine tune it before voting on it.
Rep. Daniel Bosley, D-North Adams, also said lawmakers need time to review the proposal, but agreed with Patrick that the state can't ignore the threat from other states.
"The rest of the world is trying to become what we are," Bosley said. "We need to stay ahead of the curve."
Critics of Patrick's plan, including anti-abortion activists, say the state shouldn't invest money in embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of human life at its very earliest stages.
Other critics say the money should be spread around to other industries instead of being concentrated narrowly on the biotechnology and life sciences sector.
Eileen McAnneny, with the business advocacy group Associated Industries of Massachusetts, said she's worried some of the tax credits in the bill would skew the playing field, with some similar businesses facing different tax laws.
That's not only unfair, but potentially unconstitutional, she said.
"It sets up a great disparity between industries," McAnneny said. "AIM has always advocated for predictability in the tax code."
She said the bill also gives state officials too much leeway in offering tax credits.
"Our preference is to have things spelled out," she said.
But biotechnology supporters say the money and other investments are critical, or the state's life sciences edge could fizzle in the same way Massachusetts' early leadership in the computer industry fizzled.
"Massachusetts has a chance to solidify its position as world leader in life sciences or it will see another industry slip away," said Joshua Boger, president and CEO of
Una Ryan, president and CEO of AVANT Immunotherapeutics in Needham, said she was able to locate her manufacturing facility in Fall River through a state-backed financing program despite offers from other states.
"This initiative will not only level the playing field with states like California and North Carolina, it will put us and should keep us in the lead," she said.
