Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Friday, October 21, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today announced that he secured $2 million in federal funds for bus and public transportation needs in southeast Missouri in the Senate-passed Transportation-Treasury-HUD spending bill.

“Public transportation is not just important in our nation’s metropolitan areas. For many in rural America, public transportation is the only way to get to the doctor or grocery store,” said Bond. “As Missouri’s senior Senator, my job is to fight to send Missouri’s hard-earned tax dollars back home. I will continue to work to make sure my state gets the dollars it needs.”

"We're extremely grateful new resources may be coming our way to expand and improve SMTS operations in the Butler County region" stated Ray Skaggs, Chairman of SMTS. "While serving as Governor, and now a senior U.S. Senator, Kit Bond has always been a champion of transportation for senior citizens, handicapped and those less fortunate to insure they have access to health care, shopping and other day to day needs many of us take for granted."

As chairman of the Senate Transportation-Treasury-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Bond secured the $2 million in federal funds in the fiscal year 2006 spending bill, which passed the Senate last night. Before being signed into the law the bill must be reconciled with the House of Representatives version.

These funds will be used by the Southeast Missouri Transportation Service (SMTS) to develop a safety center, administration office and regional maintenance facility to Butler and adjacent counties served by SMTS. The dollars will also fund necessary capital maintenance, replace transit vehicles and improve transit infrastructure.

SMTS was organized in the early 1970's while Bond served as Missouri Governor, and currently makes over 300,000 passenger trips annually. Since becoming U. S. Senator, Bond has acquired $4.25 million in federal funds for SMTS to expand and improve access to SMTS operations in southeastern Missouri.