Business Meeting

AGENDA

Business Meeting
Thursday, November 20, 2008 
State Capitol, Room 4203 
Sacramento, CA

The Commission will consider agenda items I-VI at approximately 12:30 p.m.  The precise time will vary depending upon the testimony of witnesses and will be determined at the discretion of the chair. Members of the public will have an opportunity to make comments about Commission agenda items during the meeting.

1. Business Meeting Minutes from October 23, 2008
    
2. Draft Report - Data and Technology
    
3. Schedule/Project Selection
    
4. Subcommittee Reports
    
5. Implementation Activity
    
6. Reports from the Bureau of State Audits

PUBLIC NOTICE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2008

For Additional Information Contact:
Stuart Drown, Executive Director
(916) 445-2125

Notice of Meeting

On Thursday, November 20, 2008, the Little Hoover Commission will conduct a public hearing on the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 4203 of the State Capitol in Sacramento.

This is the first of two planned hearings the Commission has scheduled to assess the state’s stem cell agency. This study was prompted by the request of Senators Sheila Kuehl and George Runner, who in April 2008 asked the Commission to review the governance structure of the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Act, including the membership of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee (ICOC) and the relative roles of the committee and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). A complete agenda is on the reverse.

At this hearing, the Commission will hear testimony from a panel of law professors who will discuss the governance of the state’s stem cell agency and from a panel of consumer advocates who will speak about transparency and accountability. The Commission also will hear from a panel of representatives from institutions who have applied for and received grant money from CIRM who will discuss the approval process and how their organizations are using the money. Finally the chair of the ICOC and the president of CIRM will discuss their organizations’ efforts in managing the state’s investment in stem cell research.

There will be an opportunity for public comment at the end of the hearing. The Commission also encourages written comments. A business meeting will follow the hearing. 

All public notices for meetings are on the Commission’s Web site, www.lhc.ca.gov. If you need reasonable accommodation due to a disability, please contact Stuart Drown at (916) 445-2125 or littlehoover@lhc.ca.gov by Thursday, November 13, 2008.