California Family Bioethics Council v. Cali. Inst. for Regen. Med Part III
Initiative that established, and provided for the funding of, public entity to conduct stem cell research did not violate constitutional requirement that initiative deal with a single subject, since provisions permitting funding of "vital research opportunities" beyond those specifically authorized by the initiative and exempting officials of the entity from conflict of interest laws are functionally related to the central purposes of the measure. Ballot analysis that explained measure in objective, nontechnical terms satisfied legal requirements. Authority conferred by Proposition 71 on Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee does not violate constitutional ban on state funding of private entities, as the majority of ICOC members are appointed by public officials, members who violate their public responsibilities are subject to removal by judicial process; measure imposes strict requirements as to how ICOC is to allocate moneys in the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Fund; and there are significant public and financial accountability standards to which the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which the ICOC oversees, is held.
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