Thursday, July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that he secured $8 million in federal funds for key Missouri projects in the Senate Labor-HHS spending bill.

“These projects will improve and strengthen health care, education and outreach services in communities across Missouri. These dollars will mean a brighter and healthier future for some of Missouri’s most vulnerable families,” said Bond. “I will continue to use my position on the Appropriations Committee and as Missouri’s senior Senator to send federal dollars back to the state to fund local priorities.”

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Bond secured the $8 million in federal funds in the fiscal year 2007 spending bill, which passed the full committee this afternoon. Before being signed into the law the bill must be passed by the full Senate and reconciled with the House of Representatives version.

Bond secured $8 million in funds for the following Missouri projects:

• $500,000 for the City of Springfield -- Funds will be used for program development and expansion, equipment and technology for the Ready to Learn Program.

• $875,000 for Missouri Highlands Health Care -- Funds will be used for construction, renovation and equipment costs for a new facility in Popular Bluff.

• $1,000,000 St. Louis Children’s Hospital – Funds will be used for construction and renovation costs for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Expansion.

• $750,000 for the United Inner City Services – Funds will be used to expand the early learning programs in Kansas City.

• $1,000,000 for Missouri State University – Funds will be used to expand as well as purchase equipment and technology for the Distance Learning Project on the West Plains Campus.

• $1,000,000 for the Boone County Senior Citizen Service Corporation – Funds will be used for equipment and technology for the Alzheimer’s Disease Demonstration Center on the Bluff’s campus.

• $300,000 for the Rainbow Center for Communicative Disorders – Funds will be used to expand programs available to individuals with severe disabilities to meet the increased demand from the Blue Springs community.

• $500,000 for the Boys and Girls Town of Missouri – Funds will be used to expand services to children suffering from abuse and neglect at the Boys and Girls Town in St. James.

• $250,000 for the YMCA of Greater St. Louis – Funds will be used to expand after school programming at the Monsanto Family YMCA.

• $1,000,000 for St. Louis University - St. Louis, MO for technology and equipment for the Saint Louis University Advanced Neurosurgical Innovation Center (SANIC).

• $1,000,000 for the University of Missouri-Kansas City – Funds will be used for construction and renovation costs for the Health Sciences Building.