Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Thursday, December 22, 2005

ST. LOUIS, MO - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today outlined this year’s major legislative accomplishments and looked forward to priorities in 2006. As Missouri’s senior Senator, now serving his fourth term, Bond stressed that he will continue to use his seniority in the U.S. Senate to deliver for Missouri.

“My top priority is to see that Missouri gets its fair share of federal resources. As an Appropriations Subcommittee chairman, I want to make sure next year’s transportation and housing appropriations bill provides Missouri and the nation with the resources we need in key programs. Obviously, transportation is immensely important to our state and the nation. Making sure Missouri has a modern transportation infrastructure is important to jobs and the future economic health of our state.”

As chairman of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee, Bond coauthored the federal highway bill, which was signed into law earlier this year. For the first time, Missouri will receive more in federal highway funds than paid to the federal government in gas taxes. Missouri will receive almost $1.3 billion in new highway funds as a result of the bill, $467.5 million for transportation projects statewide, including $75 million for the Mississippi River Bridge, a top priority for the St. Louis region.

Congress also passed a much-needed comprehensive energy bill. Bond pointed out that America uses energy about 40 times faster than the country produces and it is critical to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, reduce the cost of energy, and encourage production of energy here in the U.S.

Long awaited justice for cold war workers is another critical accomplishment, Bond said. After years of work, a federal panel approved compensation for workers who were employed between 1942 and 1957 at Mallinckrodt’s downtown nuclear production site and who now suffer from one of 22 specific cancers.

Fulfilling his promise to help make St. Louis lead free by 2010 Bond also secured $5 million in federal funds for lead abatement. In 2003, Bond challenged Mayor Slay to make the city lead free by 2010 by delivering $15 million in federal funds in the next three federal funding cycles. The $5 million Bond secured this year is the third installment of funds.

Bond was able to secure $65 million to continue St. Louis-build F-15 production. These funds supplement the $110 million Bond secured in last year’s defense appropriations bill, bringing the total amount available for F-15 production to $175 million. Bond stressed that the F-15 is an affordable, proven, and effective tactical fighter aircraft in the Global War on Terror.

While there were many successes in 2005, there is much unfinished business and new priorities for next year, said Bond. Bond stressed he will continue to make delivering funds to Missouri for transportation, housing and economic development programs a priority and also said he will focus on immigration reform next year.

“The fact is we are educating too many good mathematicians, scientists and engineers in this country but after we educate them we force them to go back to their own countries,’ said Bond. “America and Missouri can benefit greatly from the skill and entrepreneurship from these highly-educated people with advanced degrees and I plan to work on legislation to make it easier for them to stay.”

As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Bond emphasized continuing efforts to reform our intelligence operations by improving the integration of foreign and domestic intelligence; strengthening collection and analysis of threats; and streamlining the sharing of intelligence and boosting human intelligence capabilities.