to stem cells; this was considered to discourage the science community at large from working in the state. In 2005 Governor Blunt created the Missouri Life Sciences Trust Fund, to accept transfers of monies from the Tobacco Settlement fund and apply them to biotech efforts. In January 2006 Gov. Blunt created the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative (LCDI), designed to spread biotechnology across the State. The LCDI is funded by the Missouri higher-education learning assistance fund (MOHELA). Alleged misuse of state offices In August 2007, a reporter for the Springfield News-Leader filed to gain access to emails by Ed Martin, Blunt's Chief of Staff, under the state's Sunshine Law. He was investigating whether Martin had used his office to try to influence anti-abortion groups in relation to opposition to state Attorney General Jay Nixon, a Democrat. Nixon was expected to run against Blunt in the 2008 gubernatorial election. Martin responded on September 4 that he had no such emails, but the reporter later said someone gave him a copy of one, showing that Martin's claim was false. At the same time, "Blunt spokesman Rich Chrismer insisted to reporters that 'there is no statute or case that requires the state to retain individual's e-mails as a public record.' Blunt himself told reporters that his staffers would not be required to save e-mails for three years," although this was "widely understood to be state law" (known as the Sunshine Law). It was later revealed that Scott Eckersley, a deputy chief counsel, provided copies of language in the state employees' handbook to general counsel Henry Herschel on September 10 about this state requirement to save such materials. Eckersley was soon locked out of his office by order of Martin. On September 28, 2007, the governor's office fired Eckersley, a political appointee. It distributed packets of emails and documents to four major newspapers in Missouri to support its claims that the attorney had made inappropriate use of a state computer. Eckersley said he was terminated for other reasons, related to trying to ensure employees complied with the state's email retention policy under its Sunshine Law. In the first known "whistleblower" case against the Missouri state government, Eckersley filed suit for wrongful termination and defamation of character against Blunt and his senior appointees. Due to concerns expressed to his office in November 2007 that there were actions underway to overwrite email tapes and the Governor's