The forum would be held after a proposed ballot initiative to refinance the agency with $5.5 billion is likely to have qualified for the November ballot. The proposal for the two-day event is the sort of conference that opponents of the agency are likely to raise questions about.
Legal restrictions exist in California exist concerning how public funds may be used during a ballot campaign. In response to a question, a spokeswoman for the agency, formally known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), said this morning that the grantee conference would comply with state law and would not involve advocacy for the ballot initiative.
The proposal, if approved by voters, would save CIRM from financial extinction. The agency is running out of money and needs more billions to continue its work. CIRM was created in 2004 by voters who provided $3 billion in state bond funding. It is now down to $27 million for awards.
At its meeting on Thursday, the CIRM governing board is scheduled to be asked to allocate $1.8 million of the recovered funds for "progression" awards to help advance more basic level research into possible clinical use. A CIRM document said that two applications have already been received and another six appear to be in the pipeline.
Another $250,000 would be allocated for a public conference in the latter part of the year "to discuss advances and progress in the field of stem cell research in California."
The event would occur after the proposed initiative qualifies for the ballot. Efforts to gather more than 600,000 signatures of registered voters are already underway. The deadline for qualification falls in June.
State law bars agencies from spending public funds for activities that are strictly for ballot campaigns. However, the agencies are permitted to continue their regular public information practices.
James Harrison, former general counsel to the agency and a well-known expert on campaign law, briefed the CIRM governing board last fall on the complex restrictions and gray areas. He said,
"Communications about a ballot measure should be delivered through CIRM’s ordinary communication methods, like its website, blog, newsletter, emails to interested persons, and public meetings, in the style CIRM normally uses to communicate other information. CIRM should avoid passionate or inflammatory language and modes of communication that it does not regularly employ, and should not encourage voters to vote in a particular manner."Harrison drafted portions of the 2004 initiative that created the agency. He was also heavily involved in drafting the current proposed initiative.
In response to a query from the California Stem Cell Report, Maria Bonneville, a spokeswoman for the agency, said,
"CIRM has conducted four grantee meetings since the agency’s inception. These meetings are opportunities for grantees to share information about their progress, discuss bottlenecks in the field, and identify potential partnership opportunities. This grantee meeting will be no different. The meeting will comply with state laws governing the use of public funds in connection with ballot measure campaigns and will not include any advocacy for or against the ballot measure."The CIRM conference proposal said that the public, CIRM grantees, interested funding organizations, patient advocates and stakeholders would be invited to the two-day session. An estimated 300-400 participants are expected. CIRM said the goals of the meeting are to:
- "Provide a public forum to learn about the most recent advances in stem cell research in California.
- "Encourage the sharing of information and data among CIRM grantees to foster collaboration and learning.
- "Timely presentations to address and overcome key bottlenecks and challenges in the field to help advance existing projects.
- "Showcase promising stem cell-based projects for partnership opportunities with investors, funders, or companies"
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