Contact: Ernie Blazar 202-224-7627 Shana Stribling 224-0309
Thursday, July 12, 2001

WASHINGTON - Senator Kit Bond today announced that he has successfully secured over $71 million for Missouri in two key Senate spending bills that cleared big hurdles today. The two spending bills are the Transportation Appropriations bill and the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, both of which will fund important projects in the fiscal year that begins October 1, 2001. Bond secured $57.8 million for Missouri in the transportation bill and boosted spending for the state in the Energy and Water bill, over the White House’s request, by $12.8 million.

“This is Missouri tax money that visited Washington before returning home to where it is needed,” said Bond, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Some folks back home fretted about my ability to deliver for Missouri and I think this money ought to help put their minds at ease. I am making sure that Missouri continues to do well this year in Washington.”

Each of the two spending bills was approved during a at 2PM (EST) meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee. The next step is for the full Senate to vote on both the transportation and energy and water bills. Following that, the Senate and the House of Representatives will hash out their different versions of the bills before sending agreed-upon versions of the bills – called a conference bill –to the President for his signature. While these several steps remain before the two spending bills announced today become law, the news today is that the spending requests for Missouri passed their first, most important hurdle.

Highlights include:

* $3.6 million increase for aquatic habitat restoration along Missouri River.

* $2.8 million for OATS’s statewide transportation for senior citizens.

* $2 million increase for Kansas City Blue River FloodControl project, to $10.4 million.

* $8 million for the St. Louis Bi-State Development Authority bus and bus facility.

* $10 million to begin Kansas City central corridor light rail project.

* $10 million for Kansas City transit authority bus and radio equipment.

* $8 million to improve Route-71 in McDonald County south of Joplin and Neosho.

* $5 million to improve I-44 near Fenton in St. Louis County.

* $1 million for Springfield City center streetscape improvements