From: Hartford Courant (Connecticut) December 14, 2004 Tuesday SECTION: CONNECTICUT; Pg. B1 HEADLINE: RELL WANTS TO FUND STEM CELL RESEARCH; SUGGESTS $10 MILLION TO $20 MILLION IN STATE SPENDING; KEY DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR MORE BYLINE: CHRISTOPHER KEATING; Capitol Bureau Chief BODY: Gov. M. Jodi Rell stepped into a controversial issue Monday, saying the state should spend $10 million to $20 million on stem cell research. ``I believe very much in stem cell research,'' Rell told reporters at the state Capitol complex. ``I believe that some seed money would be appropriate.'' Rell intends to set aside money from this year's state budget surplus, but the funding probably would be a one-time grant because Rell is projecting difficult times and a deficit in the next fiscal year of as much as $1.3 billion. ``We're certainly not a California,'' Rell said. ``We can't go out to the billion-dollar mark. But if we can do something and hopefully garner some matching funds, I think it frankly would be a prudent use of a one-time revenue deposit, if you will, from our state surplus. But we're in the very preliminary stages of that.'' Pulling ahead of other states on the research, California voters decided in a November referendum to borrow $3 billion through the sale of bonds to fund stem cell research over the next decade. Rell's budget director, Marc S. Ryan, said a final decision has not been made on the amount of research money that Rell would propose in her budget in February. But House Speaker-elect James Amann, a Milford Democrat, said lawmakers should think as boldly as California residents and pour even more money into research. ``I'm pleased that she wants to put some money toward it, but $10 to $20 million is a drop in the bucket,'' Amann said. ``We should be thinking of stem cell research the same way we thought of UConn 2000. If we don't do it, we're missing a great opportunity.'' UConn 2000 is the 10-year program, approved in the 1990s, to pour $1 billion into reconstructing the state's flagship university. With interest, the rebuilding will cost more than $2 billion -- ranking with the Adriaen's Landing development in Hartford as one of the most expensive projects in state history. Earlier this year, Connecticut lawmakers were unable to pass any legislation on stem cells as the House and Senate approved different bills before time ran out on the session. The state Senate debate was marked by speeches in which some senators choked up as they told stories about relatives with medical problems. ``We failed last year,'' Amann said. ``We should have done something. Quite frankly, we blew it.'' Legislators, Amann said, must be sensitive to opposition to embryonic stem cell research from the Roman Catholic Church and others on moral grounds. Part of the controversy revolves around the belief that human embryos should not be destroyed because they constitute life. ``Absolutely, we have to be extremely careful,'' Amann said. ``What they fear is they confuse it with cloning sometimes. It's going to require a study that makes it quite clear that we're not aborting or using fetuses.'' Marie Hilliard and David Reynolds, representatives of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, could not be reached for comment Monday. Nationally, the research question has been highly controversial, becoming an issue during the presidential campaign. President Bush has limited federal funding for research, igniting a debate around the country. Proponents say research on embryonic stem cells could lead to cures for Parkinson's disease, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injuries, and other illnesses. Others, including first lady Laura Bush, say proponents have misled Americans by stating that the research could lead to a relatively quick cure for Alzheimer's Disease. Betty Gallo, a lobbyist at the Capitol for the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union, knew that Rell supported stem cell research, but she added that Rell went a step further in offering funding. That money could help fund programs at Yale University and the University of Connecticut Health Center. ``We hadn't heard anything about money,'' Gallo said. ``We have some premiere research institutions here in the state. It would be great to have some state money.'' LOAD-DATE: December 14, 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn