MISSOURI INITIATIVE | Blunt makes concessions
Biotech plans scaled back
Yielding to foes of stem-cell research, the governor scraps many life
sciences projects.
By KIT WAGAR
The Star's Jefferson City correspondent
JEFFERSON CITY | Capitulating to critics of stem-cell research, Gov. Matt
Blunt revamped his biotech initiative Thursday, moving away from building
university research labs toward less controversial classroom space.
The plan would dramatically reduce the $94 million in projects previously
planned for the University of Missouri-Columbia. It would increase funding
for projects at the University of Missouri's Rolla and St. Louis campuses,
two regional universities and community colleges throughout the state.
The plan would reduce the emphasis on life sciences research and eliminate
projects to nurture biotech businesses in Kansas City, St. Louis and
Columbia. In all, $113 million worth of life sciences research projects
would be scrapped.
Administrators and lawmakers admitted that the changes were a concession to
opponents of stem-cell research, who had threatened to derail the entire
construction plan if funds were used for buildings where such cutting-edge
research could be conducted.
The two projects at the University of Missouri-Kansas City would still be
worth about $15 million but would be altered to eliminate a business
incubator and research facilities at the Health Sciences Center.
Instead, the projects would be replaced by the Pharmacy and Nursing building
on Hospital Hill. The new project would have laboratories for serving
patients rather than research labs, said Sen. Gary Nodler, the Joplin
Republican who is sponsoring the governor's plan.
The original UMKC projects were important to Kansas City business leaders
because they were intended to house companies that would create commercial
products based on research being conducted at UMKC, the University of Kansas
Medical Center and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.
"People may not be happy about it, but it's an accommodation to the
political reality in this building," Nodler said. "Legislators are not
interested in getting embroiled in a controversy (over stem-cell research)
that is not appropriate to this proposal."
The revised plan, a combination of SB 389 and HB 16, is expected to be taken
up in the Senate next week.
Greg Steinhoff, the state's economic development director, acknowledged that
the new plan would have far less economic punch than the governor's original
proposal. But he said the plan would still be a tremendous boost to higher
education, which he called "the tip of the spear to deliver economic growth"
in Missouri.
The overall plan would still spend $350 million but would spread the money
throughout the state. Columbia bore the brunt of the proposed changes,
losing about $56 million in construction projects compared with the earlier
plan.
Sen. Chuck Graham, a Columbia Democrat, said the changes undermined Blunt's
stated intent of making Missouri a center of life sciences research. Graham
said he supported Blunt's original list of projects because they met that
goal.
Blunt already risked his political future by defying Missouri Right to Life
and supporting Amendment 2, last year's ballot proposal that protects all
forms of stem-cell research in Missouri, Graham said. It makes no sense now
to cave in to Right to Life's demands, he said.
"It was a bloody hill the governor took by going through Missouri Right to
Life to get Amendment 2 passed," Graham said. "He planted that flag and
said, 'We're a pro-research state.' When you do that, it's like taking Iwo
Jima. You go on to Tokyo."
The change in projects is the latest major shift in Blunt's 14-month effort
to get the legislature to buy into his plan. The original plan proposed
selling off the state's student loan agency, the Missouri Higher Education
Loan Authority, for an estimated $425 million. The money was to be used to
finance a life sciences construction boom at state universities and to boost
funding for college scholarships.
The plan went through various changes and was downsized to $350 million over
six years.
The new plan would boost funding for community colleges from $18 million to
$30 million. It would add $13 million for science classrooms, labs and a
business recruitment center at Northwest Missouri State University in
Maryville.
Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau would get a $4.5
million center to recruit environmental companies. Southeast would also get
$2.6 million to set up an autism research and treatment center.
Nodler praised the significant boost in funds that would go to community
colleges, whose funding is less controversial because they do not conduct
the advanced research that four-year colleges undertake. Such funding also
provides an inducement to more senators to support the plan, he said.
"A lot more legislators are affected by community college districts than by
four-year institutions," Nodler said. "In part, that's a political
calculation. But in part it is recognition that community colleges are an
important part of our educational system."
Blunt called the new plan a strong list of projects that would address many
of his priorities and provide a big boost to higher education. But if the
governor hoped to mollify Missouri Right to Life, it didn't work.
Pam Fichter, the group's president, said there was no way her organization
could support the proposal. As long as Amendment 2 is in the constitution,
Fichter said, Missouri Right to Life will oppose any state funding for
science buildings. "We're just responding to the reality of what the
Missouri Constitution does after passage of Amendment 2," Fichter said.
"They can say now that it's going to classrooms. But then they can change
that, and no one can stop them because that would be discouraging this
research that destroys human life."
Graham predicted that reaction and said that was the reason Blunt should
push ahead with the earlier plan.
"Missouri Right to Life and the Catholic Conference are going to oppose
anything, so you might as well go back to the list that moves the state
ahead," Graham said. "Dorms and classrooms are nice, but they are not what
we need to drive economic development in this state. If this is nothing but
a watered down capital improvement bill, I'm not interested."

@ For a complete list of the projects, go to KansasCity.com.

@ For more details on the plan, go to KansasCity.com.

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