WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Having passed bills on 9/11 committee recommendations and raising the minimum wage earlier in the week, House Democrats pushed a bill legalizing stem-cell research to the floor Thursday as their "100 hour" clock continues to tick.

The stem-cell legislation is identical to that passed by the House last summer, only to be vetoed by President Bush.

"I believe we have a moral obligation to provide our scientific community with the tools it needs to save lives, and this legislation accomplishes exactly that," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, said in a statement.

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he opposed the bill because "it requires the killing of human life. "

"I support stem cell research with only one exception: research that requires the killing of human life," Boehner said in a speech on the House floor. "Taxpayer-funded stem cell research must be carried out in a way that is ethical and in a way that respects the sanctity of human life"