QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “It's time to stop managing the crisis and end the disgrace.”

- Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness

Friday Footnote #7 … December 17, 2004

A publication of The Baltimore Jewish Council.

Contents
1. Stem cells and immigration reform

2. Affordable housing and homelessness

3. Worth a read

4. Action alert on affordable housing threat

5. The Lighter Side … or dreidel, dreidel, dreidel

6. Internet links in today’s edition

…And click here for our archive of previous Friday Footnotes.

elcome, friends, to another edition of the Friday Footnote, a weekly letter about Maryland politics and the Jewish community. Several events and news stories prompt a special focus on housing and homelessness this week. I hope you’ll consider taking the action suggested by the Enterprise Foundation, which highlights a troubling new proposal from the federal Office of Thrift Supervision that could threaten the ability of agencies such as CHAI to continue to produce affordable rental housing for people in our community.

I also want to share with you two statements of public policy the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Jewish Council approved at its meeting yesterday: one on stem cell research, and the other on immigration reform. They will inform our advocacy in Annapolis next session.

We will begin our Legislative Committee meetings on Monday January 24, from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m. in the 2^nd floor phone room of the Greenstein Building, at 5750 Park Heights Ave. (and every two weeks thereafter for two or three more meetings). Those interested in attending, and helping guide our advocacy on legislation as it is submitted, please let me know. And, of course, please mark your calendars for our annual Maryland Jewish Alliance Advocacy Day in Annapolis, on Monday March 7, 2005, from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.

As always, a very pleasant and peaceful Shabbat to you and your family.

- David

Stem cells and immigration reform

Thanks to the work of our Health Task Force, chaired by Jo-Ann Orlinsky, we developed a policy statement on stem cell research that the Board approved unanimously this week. And, our Human Services Task Force, chaired by David Cahn, worked up a statement on comprehensive immigration reform, that also was approved unanimously (with one abstention).

We are expecting legislation in both areas this next session. In fact, Sen. Paula Hollinger and Del. Sandy Rosenberg plan to introduce the Ronald Reagan and Christopher Reeve Stem Cell Research Act, which would permit research using embryonic stem cells, and call for state financial support of this research. The name of their bill has prompted this objection from six Republican state senators.

Speaking of the state legislature, the Montgomery Gazette reports that despite the approach of Christmas and New Year’s, there is still some slim hope of a special session on medical malpractice reform. Governor Ehrlich has enlisted the help of former state senators Robert Neall (R-Anne Arundel) and Francis X. Kelly (D-Baltimore County) to negotiate a deal with Sen. President Mike Miller and House Speaker Mike Busch.

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Affordable housing and homelessness

The Maryland Interagency Commission on Homelessness hosted a two-day conference on homelessness this week. The goal: to develop a 10-year plan to make homelessness in Maryland a brief and rare occurrence. By launching this venture, we join numerous other states that are working with the federal government to devise ways to better use public resources, and coordinate better between public agencies and private sector providers.

Want some inspiration for supporting this effort, and whatever recommendations come from it? Check out this statistic: Philip Mangano, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, pointed to a study by University of California at San Diego researchers of the public sector expenditures on homeless people in the San Diego area (where they boast 322 days of sunshine a year). They followed 15 homeless people over the course of 18 months and tracked every contact they had with government, from hospital emergency rooms to law enforcement, courts and corrections. The average taxpayer funded cost per person: $200,000. And the punchline? After all this public expense, not a single person was any better off than they started. If you suggested creating a program with that cost and those results, you’d be laughed out of the legislature.

Mr. Mangano’s point was that homelessness prevention, almost regardless of the cost, is bound to be a better use of scarce public resources than the way we’re dealing with the problem now. “It's time to stop managing the crisis and end the disgrace,” he says. I’ll try to keep you updated as the process continues. Whatever proposals come forward, public support will be essential.

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Worth a read

Here’s some further reading on the subject of housing. First the bad news:

“Directors say county homeless shelters already filling up,” from the Montgomery Gazette – yes, that’s Montgomery County, Md.

“House prices in area show a record rise,” the Baltimore Sun reports, noting that Baltimore-area housing prices posted their largest year-over-year percentage increase on record in November.

Closer to home, the Community Times reports that “Affordable homes hard to find in northwest corridor.”

And, this from the Washington Post: “Home Prices Outpace Area Wages, Study Says.”

And now, finally, here’s some good news:

The Jewish Times reports on a national Jewish initiative that is giving $1 million to Reservoir Hill in Baltimore – home to Beth Am Congregation and a former hub of Jewish life - as a shot in the arm to improve the area. Kudos to the Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation, the Lois and Irving Blum Foundation, the Goldseker Foundation and the Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund — which all contributed to the first round of financing.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Baltimore City is putting together a plan to eradicate homelessness within the next decade - action that could provide permanent housing to roughly 4,000 people who sleep in parks and shelters each night in the city. This is the local version of the state summit I mentioned above.

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Action alert on affordable housing threat

As I noted at the top, the federal Office of Thrift Supervision is proposing new regulations that would change the way savings and loans comply with the Community Reinvestment Act. That’s the federal law that requires lenders to make an effort to invest in economically distressed communities, and make loans to minority applicants.

One important effect of these proposed changes is that thrifts will have very little incentive to invest in low-income housing tax credits, which help agencies like our Comprehensive Housing Assistance Inc. (CHAI), produce affordable housing for seniors and others in our community.

Here is the Enterprise Foundation’s explanation of this proposed change, and how you can weigh in.

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Baltimore Jewish Council Statement

On Stem Cell Research

Approved December 16, 2004

Society today stands on the threshold of a new era in biomedical research. The wisdom granted to humans by our Creator has led to our greater understanding and knowledge of the building blocks of human life itself. Scientists revealed the existence and role of DNA and cellular science many years ago. Currently, scientists are not only able to describe the nature of cellular life, but manipulate it as well. Scientists now believe that embryonic stem cells – cells derived from the inner cell mass of developing pre-embryos – hold the promise of treating many life threatening conditions because they have demonstrated the capacity to develop into healthy organ tissue which could potentially replace that which has been destroyed by aging or disease.

A debate has emerged in American society at large and among our elected leaders as to whether public policy should permit, encourage, restrict or ban the further conduct of this biomedical research. The issue is one with complex moral dimensions. On the one hand scientific research indicates that there is great life-saving potential in the results that can come from research on embryonic stem cells with the aim of generating reparative tissue, as well as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. In this technique the nucleus of an unfertilized egg cell is removed and replaced with the genetic material from the nucleus of a somatic cell (any cell of the body except sperm or egg cells). The egg is then stimulated to begin dividing, and stem cells can be extracted 5-6 days later. When the somatic cell is supplied from the cells of a given person, the stem cells isolated from the developing eggs can be used to make tissue that will not be rejected by that person's immune system because it contains his or her own genetic material.

In using this technology, we must be vigilant against any erosion of the value that society accords to human life. Jewish law and tradition places great value upon human life. The Torah commands us to treat and cure the ill and to defeat disease wherever possible; to do this is to be the Creator’s partner in safeguarding the created. Deuteronomy alerts us to the choice that we have been given between life and death. “Choose life,” our text commands us, “that you and your descendants may live.” The Mishnah, the well-known third 3^rd Century compendium of Jewish law, taught that “one who saves a single life, it is as if that person has saved the entire world.” Our teachings are clear: As Jews, we are charged with the preservation of life. The traditional Jewish perspective thus emphasizes that maximizing the potential to save and heal human lives is an integral part of valuing human life. Moreover, our tradition states that an embryo in vitro does not enjoy the status of a living being and its attendant protections. Thus, since stem cell research holds the promise of advancing our ability to heal humans with greater success, and since it does not require or encourage the destruction of life in the process, it should be pursued.

We must be careful to distinguish between SCNT research conducted for therapeutic purposes, which ought to be pursued, and cloning for reproductive purposes – which we oppose. Thus, this research must be conducted under strict guidelines and with strict limitations to ensure that the research is indeed serving therapeutic purposes. Embryos utilized for research should never be permitted to be brought to life, nor should they even be implanted.

Furthermore, the recent approval of a $3 billion fund for stem cell research in California poses the risk that Maryland could lose some of its best researchers, resulting in a damaging blow to our state’s growing biotechnology industry. In addition to the potential economic losses, Maryland residents stand to lose some of the medical and therapeutic benefits of the cutting edge research being conducted in public and private labs throughout the state. This recent development creates an urgency for Maryland to issue a strong statement in support of this research.

Consistent with this policy, the Baltimore Jewish Council:

1. Supports research using embryonic stem cells, including the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) for therapeutic purposes; and government funding for such research;

2. Opposes efforts to restrict, penalize or criminalize scientists, clinicians, or patients for participating in stem cell research and SCNT technology;

3. Supports appropriate legislative and executive actions consistent with the above objectives, including legislation that encourages the development of new stem cell lines, in addition to the existing stem cell lines already approved for funding by the federal government;

4. Supports efforts by the scientific community to develop regulations and monitor those using SCNT technology;

5. Supports education of our community regarding donation of products of conception and unused frozen embryos for the purpose of such life-saving research.

We believe that the policy stated herein articulates the perspective of Judaism and the communities we represent and achieves the correct balance between pursuing new methods for saving human lives and maintaining the fundamental respect and sanctity of human life.

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Baltimore Jewish Council Statement on

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Approved December 16, 2004

Migration has been a central element of the Jewish experience since biblical times when famine forced the Jewish people to flee Canaan and resettle in Egypt. Leviticus 19:33 commands, “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him.” This experience has been mirrored in American-Jewish life with the emigration of Jews to the United States in search of religious freedom and economic opportunity. As a reflection of our history, and based upon the biblical imperative to welcome the stranger, the American Jewish Community has long advocated for fair and just immigration and refugee policies.

At present, one of the most critical immigration issues is the problem of undocumented migration to the United States. The number of migrants living without legal status has continued to grow. Current estimates are that approximately eight to ten million undocumented migrants live in the United States. Over half are from Mexico and approximately 20% are from Central American countries like El Salvador. The undocumented population increases by 350,000 to 500,000 each year, about one-third of them people who are admitted legally but fail to depart as required.

Undocumented migration involves a set of interrelated issues including: the existence of millions of individuals living in the United States without legal status; the dangerous reality of unauthorized border crossings that has resulted in thousands of deaths and increasingly violent conditions in the border regions; the possible undetected entry of individuals carrying communicable diseases; the extensive backlogs for family immigration visas that result in prolonged and inhumane separation of families; and the United States’ pressing security needs that require the government to focus resources on individuals who pose grave dangers to the country.

We acknowledge additional concerns about the quality of education, high tax burdens, urban sprawl, and other issues that are affected by an influx of more than one million immigrants annually. Immigration alone did not cause these problems, but we recognize the government’s position that making real environmental headway and improving our educational and health care systems requires some reasonable limits on the amount of new, non-refugee immigration each year. We call for a willingness to waive said limits in cases of legitimate human crises. Moreover, raising existing limits on legal immigration would better reflect the economic realities as they have existed in the United States for the past several decades, particularly regarding migration from Latin America and Asia. We believe tackling this issue in a comprehensive manner also creates an extraordinary opportunity to enhance the overall security of the United States.

These migrants contribute to our economy, fill needed jobs and frequently pay taxes, all while enjoying limited access to our country’s social safety net. As a community of immigrants in a nation built from immigrants, we support measures intended to allow all segments of society to participate fully in our country’s rights and benefits.

We reject mass deportations for illegal immigrants who have resided in the United States for an extended period of time. The forcible expulsion of millions of men, women and children would cause incalculable bitterness and division within this nation and would be utterly devastating to the image of America abroad as a champion of human rights.

We instead support a process for migrants to obtain permanent legal status, thus vastly reducing the incentive to bypass our border crossings and reside here illegally. This process should be offered to those who have lived in this country for a substantial period of time, who are otherwise law-abiding people, and who have a demonstrated work history in the U.S. Security background checks would be required, and those found to support terrorist organizations would be excluded and deported.

This will permit the establishment of an effective security screening system to bar admission or legalization to terrorists and dangerous criminals while facilitating the immigration and acculturation of hard-working migrants. We believe reasonable limits on the number of immigrants admitted to the United States each year, even for economic reasons, will be more enforceable when most immigrants have both an incentive and the ability to arrive and reside here legally. This approach will allow immigration enforcement resources to be targeted on actual threats as part of the continued war on those who commit terrorism.

Existing wage, worker safety and other legal protections must be applied to immigrant workers – and those protections must be strictly enforced. Then employers will no longer have an incentive to hire undocumented residents over those who are here legally, either native- or foreign-born.

Unlike the immigrant amnesty program of 1986, this system can and will work, but we must substantially increase resources for border and internal enforcement; implement state-of-the-art anti-fraud technology; promote greater intelligence sharing among branches of the government; and continue the improvements already begun in the system that tracks foreign nationals who enter and leave the U.S. At the same time, resources must be increased substantially for the processing of requests for immigration approval by foreign nationals.

Once such a system of comprehensive immigration reform is in place, those who choose to remain outside the law should be denied all but the most basic protections and services afforded to legal residents.

Until then, we believe that fundamental to a sound immigration policy is the successful transition and integration of immigrants into American institutions and society. Therefore we urge:

· Fair and humane access to government benefits that are supported, in part, by immigrants’ taxes;

· English language acquisition and other education, training and support necessary for full participation in American life; and

· Anti-discrimination measures, including protection of access to government-funded programs for those who have not yet mastered English.

We call on federal and state lawmakers, the Jewish Community and all Americans concerned about the country’s future to recommit to the complex process of developing a comprehensive proposal to reform United States immigration laws that will insure that our immigration system is secure, more humane, and free from stereotyping and xenophobia.

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OTS SEEKS TO FURTHER WEAKEN CRA

The Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) was the first - and so far, the only - of the four federal regulators to raise the asset threshold of "small banks" from $250 million to $1 billion. Now the OTS has proposed yet another harmful change to the way the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluates financial institutions.

Until now, the CRA exam has rated thrifts on lending (50 percent), investments (25 percent) and services (25 percent) in low- and moderate-income communities. The newest OTS proposal offers lenders the opportunity to opt out of either the services or investments portions of the three-part CRA exam. The OTS will keep the lending test at 50 percent of the CRA exam score. But OTS-regulated institutions with assets of more than $1 billion would now be able to design their own exam, setting the investments and services components anywhere from 0 percent to 50 percent. For example, a thrift could weigh their exam at 50 percent lending and 50 percent investments, meaning they would no longer be required to provide any services to low- and moderate-income communities.

Also, the OTS now wants to allow all lending, investments and services in rural areas to count toward CRA exams, regardless of whether these activities benefit low- and moderate-income residents. These proposed changes - especially coupled with the FDIC's similar proposal - undermine the incentive for banks and thrifts to invest in the nation's distressed communities. (To read the proposed rule, go to http://www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/73235.pdf.)

What does this mean for you?
Broadly, by self-exempting from the investment test, large thrifts would no longer have an incentive to finance affordable rental housing using Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Eliminating the service test means that these thrifts would no longer have to maintain branches in low- and moderate-income communities, which could lead to an upsurge in predatory lending and other high-cost services. Allowing any community development activities in rural areas to count toward CRA exams means thrifts could gain CRA credit by investing in developments such as golf courses in non-urban areas.

How you can help:

Please tell the OTS that their proposal is unacceptable. We strongly encourage individualized comments about how important the CRA is in your community and to your organization. Comments are due January 24, 2005 and should contain the following broad message or something to its effect:

"The Community Reinvestment Act is a critical component to our community's affordable housing and community development solutions. We oppose any changes that would allow thrifts to cease providing investments and services. We urge the OTS to withdraw its proposed rule."

· Send an email to [email protected] with the docket numbers, No. 2004-53 & 54, in the subject line. You can also fax your comment to (202) 906-6518. Please include your phone number on your comments, as requested by OTS, and copy The Enterprise Foundation ([email protected]; 202.842.9191 fax).

· Contact your members of Congress to ask them to send a letter to the OTS.

· Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or ask your newspaper to write an article on the continuing assault on CRA.

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The Lighter Side

File this one under “I’m not making this up.” Click here to read the Jewish Times’ account of the Hatfield and McCoy rivalry between University of Maryland and Indiana University Hillel students to break the Guinness world record for the most dreidels spinning simultaneously.

I wouldn’t dare give away the results, but suffice it to say this episode raises several important questions:

There’s a Guinness record for dreidels???

Has Major League Baseball determined there were no performance-enhancing latkes involved?

The Hoosiers have a Hillel? and

Why on earth were the lawyers involved?

Happy belated Chanukah to you … and may your (virtual) dreidels forever spin.

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Today’s links

Washington Post article on senator’s objection to stem cell legislation:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1574-2004Dec15.html

Montgomery Gazette article on medical malpractice negotiations:

http://www.gazette.net/200451/weekend/a_section/251081-1.html