Three officials honored as BIO’s Legislators of the Year

WASHINGTON The Biotechnology Industry Organization has announced Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., Congressman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., as Legislators of the year for 2007-2008. Each received the award during BIO Legislative Day Fly-In, an event that discusses critical issues involving the biotechnology industry.

According to published reports, the Bio Legislative Day Fly-In included over 200 biotechnology industry representatives from 36 states including Pennsylvania, Texas and California, states in which one of each of the recipients reside.

Each person honored had different innovations and contributions to BIO that were expressed by BIO President and chief executive officer Jim Greenwood.

Representative Schwartz was honored for her leadership as a chair of the New Democrat Health Care Task Force and as co-sponsor of the American Life Sciences Competitiveness Act of 2007, which helped “to ensure America remains the world leader in life sciences innovation.”

Senator Feinstein was honored for supporting public policy in the field as “a strong and visionary advocate for the promise that biotechnology offers and our position as its global leader,” according to Greenwood.

Representative Brady was honored for his leadership in sponsoring the American Life Sciences Competitiveness Act of 2007, and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, where he “consistently supported America’s innovative life science industry through his leadership on tax, trade, and health care issues,” said Greenwood.

Each of the recipients received their awards separately and at different times of the event, serving as representatives for BIO, an organization that represents more than 1200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States as well as 30 other nations, according to published reports.