Contact: Rob Ostrander 202-224-5721 Shana Stribling 202-224-0309
Friday, March 5, 2004

JEFFERSON CITY, MO Senators Kit Bond and Robert Bennett (UT), Chairman of the Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee today met with University of Missouri-Columbia and industry leaders on the importance of life sciences. Bond hosted Chairman Bennett's visit to the University to showcase Missouri's joint effort to make the state a world renowned life sciences center.

"Missouri is on its way to becoming the biotechnology corridor," said Bond. "We have a real opportunity to be a source of hope and health for people around the world while growing new jobs right here in Missouri. I am excited about Chairman Bennett's visit to Mizzou so he can see first-hand the great things being accomplished here."

Since he served as the state's Governor, Bond has been a strong supporter of expanding the life sciences industry in Missouri. He worked with scientists, producers, academic leaders, economists and private technology providers at every level to build Missouri's technological capacities.

Bond has been Congress' leading advocate of the new biotechnology revolution. As Chairman of the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Bond has earmarked over $450 million for plant genomics. In addition he secured $31 million for the Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri-Columbia and millions for facilities in Kansas City, St. Louis and Bootheal, including the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Missouri Botanical Garden and University of Missouri Greenhouse.

In addition to the federal funding Bond has poured into the development of biotechnology, he has also been a strong voice of behalf of the revolution, both in the United States and abroad. Bond traveled to Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Maylaysia, Indonesia and India to promote plant technology, hosted European, Asian and African delegations in Washington, DC, and briefed both former President Clinton and President Bush, and fought against the European Union's unwarranted moratorium on the approval of agricultural biotechnology products.

Bond thanked Senator Bennett for his interest in Missouri's vision and his visit to the University of Missouri-Columbia. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, the Joint Economic Committee, and a member of the Banking and Small Business Committees, Senator Bennett will play a key role in the future of biotechnology in the United States.

Bond served Missouri twice as Governor and now continues his service to Missourians in the United States Senate.