By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO. – The six college construction projects removed from a Senate education bill by anti-cloning Republicans were all located in districts represented by Democrats.
And while the Democratic lawmakers don't favor the idea of MOHELA dollars being used to fund construction projects on college campuses, they think it's unfair that the projects cut out of the bill were in their districts.
Senator Chuck Graham of Columbia considers it an assault on both Democrats and stem cell research, and he says the action gutted Governor Matt Blunt's economic development plans.
"The projects they took out in these four districts are the ones that are gonna grow jobs," Graham said. "You know, building a performance arts center in Cape Girardeau is not going to grow the state's economy the way the governor wants to do it. He needs to step in with members of his own party this is an intra-party, Republican Party, fight."
But Senator Gary Nodler of Joplin, who heads the committee that removed the six projects, says the revised bill would still provide world-class campus facilities, and would limit tuition hikes and expand scholarship opportunities.