Thursday, February 1, 2007
Contact: Jessica Robinson, 573-751-0290
Blunt and Sebelius Work to Enhance Growth for Kansas City Region at Economic Development Summit
KANSAS CITY–Gov. Matt Blunt and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius hosted the second annual Governors’ Summit on Regional Economic Development to discuss economic development and education initiatives.
“This summit serves as a strong reminder that Missouri and Kansas share common challenges, common strengths, common values and a common desire to put our strengths and values together to overcome those challenges,” Blunt said. “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to cooperate with Governor Sebelius over the last two years, including our work together at this summit last year and the effort to launch the OneKC Wired Initiative. By working together in a bipartisan fashion, we can promote a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda for the Kansas City region that will create a center of economic opportunity for both states.”
Blunt has been encouraging a pro-growth economic climate by investing in life sciences research. The Governor’s Advisory Council for Plant Biotechnology analyzes the state’s current plant life science industry and provides advice on how Missouri can best capitalize on the industry’s potential. The governor has also recommended $35.7 million in his budget for the Life Science Research Trust Fund to fund research focused on animal health and plant science.
Blunt has made education his highest priority to help prepare Missouri’s students to compete in the global economy. The governor’s current budget calls for an additional $214 million for Missouri’s classrooms, bringing the total increase in funding to more than half a billion dollars over the last three years.
Blunt’s Math, Engineering, Technology, Science (METS) Initiative is actively pursing avenues to increase Missouri’s students achievement in these critical subjects. His budget includes $2.9 million to fund 100 technology classrooms in 100 different schools and $1 million to expand quality afterschool programs for students to participate in math and science activities. The governor has also asked for $250,000 to encourage more students to take advanced placement (AP) courses by paying for half of the test fee for all students that take AP math and science exams.
The governor’s Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative is an investment in higher education that includes funding for student scholarships, university capital improvement projects and technology commercialization. Through the initiative the state will provide $335 million to higher education, helping Missouri’s colleges and universities complete much needed improvement projects. The initiative also provides $25 million in scholarship funding to make it easier for Missourians to obtain the education they need to compete in the global economy.
The Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative will also provide critical support for moving scientific research from the lab to the marketplace. This important investment will allow Missouri to compete with other states and countries in the plant science and biotechnology fields to attract and retain good, family-supporting jobs.
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