Animal health bill passes after some debate
by Ken Newton
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Few things happen easily in Congress these days, and a resolution mentioning St. Joseph generated a brisk discussion in the U.S. House on Tuesday.
The bill was intended to recognize a Kansas City Animal Health Corridor, a zone between Columbia, Mo., and Manhattan, Kan., critical to research in veterinary care. Because of the presence of animal pharmaceutical concerns, St. Joseph got a specific mention.
The measure passed Tuesday evening by a vote of 312 to 108, a curiously divided outcome for a bill originally placed among non-controversial suspension items destined for quick passage.
Instead, the matter required a voice vote, though having no trouble reaching the two-thirds majority needed for a bill considered with rules suspended.
The resolution would, among other things,
recognize "the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor as the national center of the animal health industry based on the unmatched concentration of animal health and nutrition businesses and educational and research assets."