BioLabsKansas House cuts troubled agency's role in funding of bio lab
DHS has chosen Kansas State University (KSU) in Manhattan, Kansas, as the location for the new, $650 million Level 4 BioLab, which will replace the aging lab on Plum Island, New York; the federal laboratory will be the U.S. premier facility for research into countering possible bioterrorism attacks and threats to the nation’s food supply; the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) was supposed to handle the issuing of $105 million in bonds to develop the lab, but the KBA’s chief executive has recently resigned under a cloud, and the agency’s business practices are now being investigated the Johnson County District Attorney; the Kansas House voted to cut the KBA out of handling the bond issue; “We didn’t want any kind of hint of a problem,” said one House member
DHS has chosen Kansas State University (KSU) in Manhattan, Kansas, as the location for the new, $650 million Level 4 BioLab (the official name is National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility), which will replace the aging lab on Plum Island, New York. The federal laboratory will be the U.S. premier facility for research into countering possible bioterrorism attacks and threats to the nation’s food supply.
Locating the high-security lab in Kansas has not been received with universal praise. Critics point to two potential problems: first, the new location is at the heart of the U.S. cattle industry. In the event of an accidental release of a deadly pathogen, the industry would be decimated. This worry about an accidental release is accentuated by the fact that the new location is smack in the middle of Tornado Alley, so called because of the frequency and intensity of twisters in the area.
The Wichita Eagle reports that just to make sure that no one has second thoughts about the Manhattan location, and in order to prove to DHS that Kansas intends to keep up its side of the bargain, the Kansas House approved a bill cutting the Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) out of handling more than $100 million in bonds for the new lab. Under House Substitute for Senate Bill 154, the state Department of Administration, which falls under the governor’s control, would replace the KBA in issuing $105 million in bonds to develop the lab.
The nine-member State Finance Council, made up of the governor and leaders from the House and Senate, would have final control over the bond process.
The Senate voted not to concur with the House’s action, sending the bill to a House-Senate conference committee.
The Eagle quotes Rep. Steve Brunk (R-Bel Aire) to say that the House wants to shift the bond duties to send a signal to the federal government that the state will meet all its commitments to build the $650 million facility.
He said representatives want to make sure that ongoing investigations of the KBA do not open the door for other states to try to steal the laboratory from Kansas. “We didn’t want any kind of hint of a problem,” Brunk said.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has launched an investigation of the KBA, but no details have been released. The KBA’s chief executive, Tom Thornton, recently resigned under fire and has moved to a job at the Cleveland Clinic.
