(Washington, D.C.)  Congresswoman Cathy McMorris (WA-05) announced today that the U.S.D.A. Agriculture Research Science (ARS) facility at Washington State University secured $35.69 million in the Agriculture Appropriations bill, passed by the House Agriculture Committee. The bill is expected to be considered by the full House of Representatives next week.

“Securing funding for the ARS facility has been my top priority and this initial funding number is great news for both Washington State University and our Eastern Washington economy,” said McMorris. “The support of Congressman Dicks and the entire Northwest delegation helped us secure a victory during this first stage. We will continue to fight for the full funding of the project as Congress moves ahead with the appropriations process and will work with Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell to ensure that WSU continues to be a leader in agriculture research.”

“We’re very excited by the House of Representatives appropriation for the ARS laboratory in Pullman, special thanks to Representatives McMorris and Dicks,” said V. Lane Rawlins, president of WSU. “We appreciate the effort that the entire Washington delegation has put forth to secure the funds for this critical research facility.

“The ARS building will be integrated into the biotechnology research and education complex on the Pullman campus and is an integral part of our system-wide vision for live science research,” Rawlins said. “Seamless interaction between our researchers and ARS scientists will ensure that WSU undergraduate and graduate students will learn to use the latest technologies, work in collaborative ways and generate the knowledge needed to drive our future agricultural and life science economy.”

The funding will be used in construction of the ARS facility, the only federally funded structure in a planned seven-building bioscience research complex on the WSU campus in Pullman. The facility will provide a place for federal and other research scientists to work together with the academic community in support of technology-based research programs in wheat, barley, and grain legumes.