Staff Writer

Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich (R) told Jewish activists Monday that he hoped funding for stem-cell research could be one of the election-year "success stories" in Annapolis.

But the governor and those gathered in Annapolis for the Maryland Jewish Alliance's annual Advocacy Day have different definitions of success.

Jewish activists made legislation calling for $25 million in embryonic stem-cell research one of their top priorities lobbying legislators this week. Ehrlich is pushing for a $20 million budget allocation that could be used for research on both embryonic stem cells and less controversial adult stem cells.

Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, meanwhile, found himself in hot water with many in the Jewish community last week when he linked stem cell research to Nazi experimentation. He has since apologized (see related article).

In an interview with WJW on Advocacy Day, the governor refused to speculate on whether he would sign the General Assembly bill if it were to pass ‹ it died last year under the threat of a filibuster.

But he called his proposal "by far the best policy approach out there" because it would "depoliticize" the issue. If the money were approved, the state-founded Maryland Technology Development Corporation would choose a panel of experts to make funding decisions on state research.

"Our bill is a function of more than a year's worth of discussion with advocates, scientists, people who do this for a living," Ehrlich said. "There's going to be a pool of cash, and our view is let the science and the scientists dictate the direction the cash should flow."

But the Maryland Jewish Alliance ‹ a coalition of the community relations councils and federations in Greater Washington and Baltimore ‹ feels that the $25 million proposal is a better option.

While applauding the governor's willingness to fund stem-cell research, alliance director David Conn said the group favors the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of 2006 because it includes important provisions such as a ban on reproductive human cloning.

It also would establish "guidelines for spending money that guarantee that only the most scientifically valid research gets funded and state dollars are used only for the most ethical research," said Conn, adding that TEDCO has not yet laid out any such guidelines on how it would allocate money under the governor's proposal.

The legislation would also fund only embryonic stem-cell research, which many scientists believe is more promising than adult stem cell research in searching for cures for Parkinson's disease and other conditions.

"It could make a difference," said Harvey Reiter of Potomac, 55, who said the legislators with whom he spoke were supportive of the bill.

The 200 or so Jewish Marylanders who lobbied their legislators and then noshed with them at the annual legislative reception also were advocating for the General Assembly to approve three Ehrlich-proposed budget allocations for Jewish organizations in the state.

Those proposals are for a $1 million grant for the Jewish Social Service Agency's new headquarters in the Fallsgrove section of Montgomery County, a $1.5 million grant for a new Jewish Foundation for Group Homes activity and education center and $440,000 for a renovation of the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue ‹ which is part of the Jewish Museum of Maryland in Baltimore.

For the first time, Jewish activists in Maryland also were urging state senators and delegates to back funding for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORCs), neighborhoods where large concentrations of older adults reside and want to age in place and remain living independently.

The budget includes $200,000 for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and $300,000 for its Baltimore counterpart to provide support services for the areas.

The federations have received federal and local government funding in past years for the project.

Conn said the funding would help "perfect these programs [so] they can be exported to other NORCs all around the state."

Reaction to the money has been "uniformly positive," said Conn, but he cautioned that lawmakers have said they will cut at least $100 million from the budget this year in order to meet a self-imposed "spending affordability limit" to curtail the annual growth in the state budget.

In addition to visting the legislative reception, Ehrlich spent a half-hour speaking and taking questions in the State House at a Maryland Jewish Alliance young adult briefing for 22-45 year olds.