Two former Maryland governors announced their support yesterday for legislation that would provide $25 million a year in state funding for stem cell research restricted on the federal level.
Harry Hughes (D) and William Donald Schaefer (D) joined lawmakers and other advocates to tout the benefits of research for treatment of such debilitating conditions as Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
Sen. Paula Hollinger talks to reporters about the stem cell research legislation she sponsored. Listening at right is Van Brooks, a Loyola College football player who was paralyzed in September, and Stephanie Pace, left, who has used a wheelchair since 2003.
(Matt Houston -- The AP)
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Hughes said he was drawn to the issue because his wife, Pat, is coping with Parkinson's disease and his grandson, Andrew, has juvenile diabetes. "Maryland cannot afford to stand by idly and watch other states invest in stem cell research," Hughes said.
Several states, including California, are investing state money in embryonic stem cell research in response to President Bush's 2001 decision to limit federal spending to existing colonies of cells derived from unused embryos produced through in vitro fertilization and donated for research purposes.
Schaefer called state spending "the right thing to do. There's no doubt about it."
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Paula Hollinger (D-Baltimore County) and Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore), has drawn opposition from those who believe extracting cells from a viable embryo amounts to the destruction of human life.
The legislation outlaws human reproductive cloning. Opponents say the bill is still unacceptable, however, because it allows a procedure known as "therapeutic cloning," which is used to create embryos for some stem cell research.
The news conference also drew religious leaders who support stem cell research. Rabbi Avram Reisner, chairman of the biomedical ethics subcommittee of Conservative Judaism's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, said such research is acceptable because it uses "the stuff of life but not life itself."
Employee's Firing Suit Settled
Attorneys for Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. have settled a lawsuit with a Democratic member of the Baltimore County Council who alleged he was fired from his state job for political reasons, sources said yesterday.
Under the terms of the settlement, the Ehrlich (R) administration will pay Vincent J. Gardina $100,000 and will do so without a cloak of confidentiality, a source familiar with the settlement said. Gardina will not return to his $56,000-a-year position as an engineer with Maryland Environmental Service, overseeing dredging work.
Gardina, through his attorney, Daniel Clements, declined to comment on the settlement yesterday, as did Ehrlich's general counsel, Jervis Finney.
Gardina has served on the Baltimore County Council since 1990. In 2002, he defeated former delegate James F. Ports Jr. (R), an ally of Ehrlich's. Gardina is one of several state workers who sued the governor over their dismissals, including several former employees of the Public Service Commission and a former Department of the Environment employee who alleged he was fired expressly because of his political party affiliation.
Finney said he could not discuss specifics but said the Ehrlich administration is not basing dismissals on party affiliation.
Bill Would Aid Veterans
During a veterans rally, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) touted legislation that would exempt military retirement income from state taxation if a person served at least 20 years on active duty.
More than 46,000 of Maryland's military retirees would benefit from the legislation, which would be phased in over five years, according to Ehrlich's office.
The governor noted during the rally held outside the State House yesterday that several surrounding states had passed similar legislation. The bill is one of several being considered by the legislature this year to benefit veterans.
Staff writer Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.
