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NCGA Applauds $10 Million
Increase on Genome Research Funding (8-1-01)
The
Senate Appropriations Committee, recently approved S. 1216, the VA,
HUD & Independent Agencies appropriations bill for FY 2002. The
bill includes $75 million, an increase of $10 million, for the National
Science Foundation's (NSF) Plant Genome Initiative that was established
several years ago at the request of the National Corn Growers Association.
Senator
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), chair of the VA, HUD appropriations subcommittee,
and Senator Christopher S. "Kit" Bond (R-MO) led the effort
to provide the significant increase.
"The
$10 million increase will give us the funding we need to get started
on the draft sequence of the gene-rich regions of the corn genome,"
noted Vic Miller, farmer from Oelwein, Iowa, and chair of the Customer
& Business Development Action Team. Miller's action team ranked
obtaining the draft sequence of corn as the number one research priority
for the NCGA. "We appreciate the foresight and effort of Senators
Mikulski and Bond in providing this funding increase for this vital
research," Miller added.
Senate
consideration of the bill is expected to be completed later this week.
The bill will then go to a joint House-Senate conference committee.
Last
reviewed August 1, 2001
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