Sen. Steve Ogden just announced that his rider banning use of state funds for embryonic stem cell research will not appear in the new state budget. “We really couldn’t come to a consensus” so the bill will be silent on the stem cell issue, Ogden announced in this morning’s conference committee meeting on the budget bill. “I continue to be concerned about us continuing to be silent”  on what he called “a profound issue.” While the federal government has guidelines and regulations concerning use of federal money in such research, “in Texas there are none. I hope even though we adopt this rider (the House version, which was silent on stem cell research), it is not the last word on this subject,” Ogden said.