THOUSANDS OF NEVADANS suffer from devastating illnesses and conditions that have no cure. Embryonic stem cell research holds so much promise for medical breakthroughs for a wide range of illnesses including Parkinson's, Alzheimers, diabetes, heart disease and spinal-cord injuries.

As Nancy Reagan—who watched with great courage as Alzheimer's took her husband—said about embryonic stem cell research, "I just don't see how we can turn our backs on this…We have lost so much time already. I just really can't bear to lose any more."

Every day in Washington, I'm working on new ways to improve the quality of life for Southern Nevadans. One way of doing this is by supporting and investing in promising scientific research. Unfortunately, the President's current embryonic stem cell research policy will not allow our best and brightest researchers to fully explore the life-saving potential of stem cells.

Federal funding of embryonic stem cell research will allow our nation to lead the world in this research and will ensure that stem cell research is conducted with the strongest oversight in the world at the National Institutes of Health.

When it comes to the possibility of finding cures, we cannot leave our best and brightest researchers with their hands tied behind their backs. And we cannot deny 100 million Americans the hope of eventually finding a cure for a wide range of illnesses and conditions.

Last year, a bipartisan majority in both chambers of Congress passed legislation to expand embryonic stem cell research. This bill also proposed ethical guidelines that are stricter than the ones currently in place. The President disappointingly used his first veto since taking office to reject this bipartisan legislation in less than 24 hours of its passage, shutting the doors once more on what had been a promising development.

I refuse to give up on this issue. Thousands of families across Nevada cannot afford to wait any longer. That is why I reintroduced the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act on the first legislative day of the 110th Congress in January.

This legislation provides hope to patients and their families who are in desperate need of treatments for their conditions. It is my hope that we will embrace the same spirit of bipartisanship in the Senate that we did last year and pass this legislation, and that, this time, the president will sign it into law.

I continue the fight because I believe it is one of the most important causes I have worked on in my career. Patients are depending on us to turn their hopes for cures into a reality and I remain strongly committed to seeing that this promising research has the opportunity to live up to its full potential.