WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement announcing numerous Missouri priorities he championed that were included in the Senate-passed FY2023 government funding bill.
“The resources included in this bill reflect several top priorities for our state, from keeping Missouri colleges and universities on the cutting edge of research and innovation to strengthening critical infrastructure and supporting defense installations,” said Blunt. “The investments we make today will help ensure we are positioned to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities ahead, especially in areas where Missouri is leading the way like biomedical research, agriculture and food science, advanced manufacturing, geospatial intelligence, and much more. I appreciate the partnership of state and local leaders who have been great advocates in this process and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these projects will have in our state.”
Following Are Several of the Blunt–Backed Projects Included in the Bill:
Central Missouri:
- $61 Million for the University of Missouri NextGen Precision Health Institute– Funding will be used for construction and research equipment for the Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building, a state–of–the–art facility at the University of Missouri–Columbia that will be available to all University of Missouri System researchers. This facility will bring biomolecular, computational and engineering disciplines, veterinary, human medicine, and industry partners under one roof.
- $5 Million for the University of Missouri Water Resources Center– Funding will be used for equipment necessary to officially launch the Missouri Water Resource Center, a joint venture between the college of agriculture and engineering. The Water Resource Center will study the Missouri River to provide academic insight on how the river’s ecosystem is impacted by different decisions.
- $3 Million for a University of Missouri Endowed Chair– Funding will be used for a permanent endowment fund to support the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty in precision health care.
- $26 Million for the Missouri S&T Technology and Innovation Campus– $20 million in funding will be used for construction and an additional $6 million in funding will be used for education and labor equipment at the Missouri S&T Manufacturing Technology and Innovation Campus.
- $6 Million for the Truman State SKILLS Center– Funding will be used for facilities and construction of a rural telehealth counseling center and integrated Sustained Knowledge of Integrated Lifelong Learning Skills (SKILLS) Center.
Kansas City and St. Joseph:
- $28.6 Million for the South Loop Link – Funding will be used to deck over a four–block section of Interstate 670, creating new green space and supporting economic development in downtown Kansas City.
- $10 Million for the University of Missouri–Kansas City– Funding will be used for construction and equipment for the UMKC School of Medicine and School of Dentistry on Hospital Hill.
- $5.4 Million for Rosecrans Air National Guard Base– $3.4 million in funding will be used for the planning and design of a general purpose maintenance hangar and $2 million will be used for the planning and design of a new, properly sized and configured aircraft parking apron, both of which will support the mission of the 139th Airlift Wing.
Southeast Missouri:
- $10 Million for the Southeast Missouri State University Health Sciences Building– Funding will be used for facilities and equipment at Southeast Missouri State University’s health sciences building.
- $1.425 Million for the Fisher Delta Research, Extension, and Education Center– Funding will be used for additional space, along with instrumentation and software, to provide rapid analysis of crops that are geographically specific to Missouri.
Southwest Missouri:
- $30 Million for the Missouri State University Ozarks Health and Life Science Center – Funding will be used for facilities and equipment for the Ozarks Health and Life Science Center at MSU to house classrooms, labs, and offices to support STEM, health, and life sciences research and academic programs.
- $5 Million for Missouri State University’s Cheek Hall– Funding will be used for construction at Cheek Hall, which is home to MSU’s computer science and mathematics departments.
- $6.4 Million for Springfield–Branson National Airport– Funding will be used for a new terminal expansion.
- $3 Million for a Missouri State University Endowed Chair– Funding will be used for a permanent endowment fund to support the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty in health and life sciences.
- $1.5 Million for Missouri State University – West Plains– Funding will be used to support education and training for an Associate’s Degree program for paraprofessionals working with students with autism, and an Associate’s Degree program in psychology, with an emphasis on autism.
- $31.3 Million for Fort Leonard Wood Hospital – Funding will be used to continue construction of the new General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital.
- $5.6 Million for the Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot– Funding will be used for the construction of an aircraft maintenance hangar addition for the Missouri AVCRAD. This project will provide for a safe working environment and adequate workspace that will allow aircraft to be overhauled and maintained in a more orderly, methodical, and efficient fashion.
- $5.3 Million for the Fort Leonard Wood Central Issue Facility– Funding will be used for the planning and design of a new, consolidated Central Issue Facility at Fort Leonard Wood that will alleviate dispersed operations and allow Fort Leonard Wood to divest temporary, World War II–era wood construction buildings.
- $5 Million for the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds– Funding will be used for the construction of facilities to support community activities and economic development at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds.
St. Louis-Area:
- $49.3 Million for the Navigation & Ecosystem Sustainability Program– Funding will continue navigation improvements and ecosystem restoration for the Upper Mississippi River and Illinois Waterway.
- $4.5 Million for BJC Behavioral Health– Funding will be used for facilities and equipment to expand behavioral health services.
- $4 Million for Saint Louis University– Funding will be used for facilities and equipment for a health sciences and public health building at Saint Louis University.
- $3.5 Million for BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital– Funding will be used for behavioral health children’s emergency room facilities and equipment.
- $3.078 Million for Harris-Stowe State University– $2 million in funding will be used for STEM building construction and equipment to expand education opportunities for health care, research, and analytics, and $1.078 will be used to upgrade IT equipment to improve student services.
- $1.025 Million for Webster University– Funding will be used for technology upgrades to support the Webster University’s Master’s programs.
$2.5 Million for the Brickline Greenway Project – The Brickline Greenway Project will create a safe and accessible area for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders, while connecting neighborhoods with economic and recreational growth.