By Marshall Griffin, KWMU
Jefferson City, MO. – Six universities in Missouri, one community college, and a state agency are the first to receive payments from Governor Matt Blunt's MOHELA college construction fund.
Nearly $40 million in reimbursements were paid out Monday on construction projects already underway.
The governor's Press Secretary Jessica Robinson says $335 million will be paid out to universities and community colleges over the next 5 years:
"Four year colleges and universities are actually reimbursed for expenses, and that's determined by information that the institutions provide the Department of Higher Education each month, and then community colleges, they have a set amount of $2 million, and that's distributed by request," Robinson said.
Another $15 million will be paid out to the Missouri Technology Corporation, to attract high-tech companies to the state.
The plan, also known as the Lewis and Clark initiative, was one of the most controversial issues of the 2007 legislative session.
Democrats strongly opposed the plan, saying MOHELA dollars should instead be spent on student loans.