Joe Lieberman: “I am privileged to join today with my senior colleague from Connecticut, Senator Dodd, to offer an amendment to the…”

“I am privileged to join today with my senior colleague from Connecticut, Senator Dodd, to offer an amendment to the fiscal year 1999 agriculture spending bill to correct an oversight which threatens the ability of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to continue its important research activities. The Station has a long and proud history. It happens to be the first state agricultural experiment station in the country, dating from 1875, and also happens to be the only state agricultural experiment station not affiliated with a university. Consequently, it is not eligible to apply for competitive grant funds from the Fund for Rural America or from the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems. The amendment we offer today makes a minor technical correction to allow the Station to compete for these grants just like every other experiment station across the country. We're not asking for any special consideration here. All we are asking for is an opportunity to compete. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station conducts research on plant pathology, horticulture, biochemistry, genetics, as well as many other science-based research projects. It also researches important public health issues, as well, such as Lyme Disease, which is a particular problem in our region, and now, nationwide. This important research should continue, and that is why we have brought this issue to the attention of the Senate today.”