CIRM Travel Comments

Here are comments from Robert Klein, chairman of the California stem cell agency, and Zach Hall, president of CIRM, concerning out-of-state travel and related comments from two Oversight Committee members.

Hall introduced the topic of travel at the May 19 Governance Subcommittee meeting by saying,"

My understanding is that all out-of-state travel and out-of-the-country travel requires my approval. And I think the reason for that is in the end I'm held responsible if we have abuse or misuse. This is the kind of thing that is apt to, I think, make the headlines, and I also think that this is an area in which we need consistent policies across the institute. And so although my intent is not to micromanage here, but simply to be sure that in the final analysis, since I'll be held responsible, I want to be sure that I am able to approve those."

Later Klein said:

"What's important here, if I have to go to Washington, D.C., on a drop of a hat because Frist moves the Castle/Degette bill in the Senate without notice -- which is, in fact, the anticipated strategy – I need staff that may have to pack on a weekend to get there. And I will be rearranging my life as well as my business as well as all of our CIRM functions, and having another level of encumbrance, we still have to get to ... to get the state director of finance's approval, and we have budgeted in our budget out-of-state travel for staff that we have support in situations like that. So fulfilling my function just on a real-time operational basis is challenging at best. and as long as we're within the budget here, I need to be able to do that to perform my functions that are critical to the mission."

Philip Pizzo, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, responded shortly thereafter with a quick follow from Claire Pomeroy, dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine.

Pizzo:

"In fairness, I think all of us can resonate to the boundaries surrounding this. If I needed to, you know, get approval to travel to Washington because of (a) key issue, I would object to that as well because I think I need to make certain decisions about that."

Pomeroy:

"I have to get approval every time I travel."

Pizzo:

"Well, that's why I left the NIH actually, to be honest with you."

Pomeroy:

"You work for a private organization, and CIRM is not a private organization."