By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – The budget Governor Matt Blunt presented this week calls for spending nearly $36 million on animal and plant sciences research. The money would come from a special life sciences trust fund created in 2003.
Last year was the first year research could be funded through the new account. But financial worries and concerns that the money could support embryonic stem cell research prompted lawmakers to hold back.
A spokeswoman for Blunt says Missouri's geographic location gives it a golden opportunity for animal and plant sciences research.
House Minority Leader Jeff Harris (D-Columbia) says lawmakers should use the fund to promote all types of life sciences - including stem cell research.