Baucus, Tester: Cut funding to Singapore company

HELENA – Montana’s U.S. senators are proposing to block a Singapore technology company’s funding until the FBI has seen all the evidence in the death of one of its U.S. employees.

Democratic Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester introduced legislation Thursday that says no U.S. contracts, grants or loans are to go to the Institute of Microelectronics.

The funding would be blocked until the FBI has certified it had access to all records and evidence in Shane Todd’s death.

Todd’s body was found hanging in his Singapore apartment last June.

His parents say data from Todd’s computer files lead them to believe he may have been killed over his research for IME into semiconductor materials with civilian and military applications.

Baucus says IME received nearly $500,000 in 2010 in Defense Department sub-grants.