Federal Aid For The Mouse Mart?
Jackson Lab in Bar Harbor, Maine, has cleared its first hurdle in getting federal funds to rebuild after its devastating May 10 fire (The Scientist, June 26, 1989, page 5). In late July the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee approved a bill that would authorize $25 million to construct a new facility for the production of inbred and mutant mice to be used in biological research. Although the legislation calls for competitive bidding, the presumed beneficiary of the bill would be Jackson, whose officials worked closely with the Maine congressional legislation and the bill’s sponsors, Senators Edward Kennedy (D.-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah). The legislation must still be approved by the House and the full Senate.
Meanwhile, Jackson has been trying to overcome its shortage of breeding space by using trailers and other temporary facilities. It resumed shipping mice only a month after ...
