The funding hurdle just got higher for the plan to build a Jackson Laboratory research facility near Ave Maria.
The U.S. Senate failed to move forward Thursday night with a stimulus bill that would have included an extension of higher Medicaid payments to the states. The state of Florida had been depending on its share of that money for its $50 million initial contribution toward funding the Jackson Laboratory facility.
There appears to be little appetite in the U.S. Congress at this time for additional spending. The House of Representatives removed the Medicaid extensions from its version of the bill before sending it to the Senate, which scaled back the amount of money that would go to the states in its version, which still stalled.
Several state governors say they believe that some amount of the money will be restored, perhaps in other legislation.
Jackson Labs Vice-President Mike Hyde said in an interview that it was impossible to speculate at this time how the funding scenario would play out.
Local politicians have told the Naples Daily News that they believe there are other avenues to pursue for the state of Florida's contribution toward the Jackson Labs facility. Click here for the Naples Daily News story.
The news from Washington comes at a time when the funding of Collier County's $130-million share of the project also is at a delicate stage. The Collier County commissioners face a July 27 deadline to determine whether or not to increase the property tax rate to pay for some portion of the Jackson Laboratory.
A report on the Medicaid funding overall, from the New York Times, is here.
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