Washington, D.C. (April 13, 2016) – The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced today its selection of Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) as a 2016 Legislator of the Year. Senator Roberts receives the award in conjunction with today’s BIO Legislative Day Fly-In.
“I am honored to receive this award from BIO on behalf of the work we do for those on the cutting edge of the life sciences, but also for those that create jobs and have made American innovators more competitive in a global marketplace,” said Roberts
“Senator Roberts understands the value of Kansas's life science industry, not just on an economic scale, but through the benefit it delivers in human and animal health, as well as in food and agricultural production,” said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. “We applaud his commitment in leading the charge to enhance tax credits available to start-ups and for continuing to be a champion of intellectual property policies that incentivize innovation.”
“As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, as well as through his influential positions on the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Senator Roberts is consistently seeking bipartisan solutions to a multitude of issues, most recently exemplified by his efforts to prevent a state-by-state patchwork of bioengineered food labeling laws which could upend the American food value chain,” added Greenwood.
“As a champion for the thousands of Kansans working in the biotechnology industry, Senator Roberts has demonstrated leadership on issues vitally important to our state and the nation,” said Dennis Ridenour, President & CEO of BioKansas, the life science trade association in the state. "The life science industry provides an enormous economic impact in Kansas, and provides jobs, both directly and indirectly, for more than 13,000 people. We thank Senator Roberts for supporting the innovative capacity and job creating potential of life science companies, and congratulate him on receiving this award."
More than 200 biotechnology industry representatives from over 40 states, representing hundreds of thousands of American workers, will participate in hundreds of meetings with Members of the House and Senate during the BIO Legislative Day Fly-In. Participants will discuss issues critical to the biotechnology industry including, drug development, discovery and delivery reforms, targeting abuses of the U.S. patent system while protecting innovation, providing adequate reimbursement for vital therapies under Medicare, FDA funding, tax policy, support for science-based GMO food labeling solutions and capital formation issues relevant to biotechnology companies.
Photos of the award presentation are available upon request.
About BIO
BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW is BIO's blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the BIO Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe to the BIO Newsletter.
