Just as Maine voters supported research and development funding for the university system last fall, they should back two bills expected to be heard today in the Legislature. The pair — one for bricks and mortar, the other to leverage grant money — continue the encouraging steps the state has taken to expand its presence in the world of high-tech development.

Voters who supported the research and development bond last fall shouldn’t have any doubts about whether the money is being well-spent. Much of the University of Maine’s share of the $20 million bond will go to overhauling decrepit labs so that its researchers can compete on a national level. But even before that rehab work has begun, UMaine has taken $3.6 million in funds from the last state budget and leveraged $18 million in grants so far this fiscal year. Approximately $10 million of that arrived this week with the announcement that the university had won a Navy research grant to help develop sensors to detect the use of chemical and biological weapons — the largest grant in UMaine’s history.

To get a sense of R&D’s huge potential for achievement at the university and jobs in the region, consider that the Navy grant required only $197,000 in matching funds from the university. The UMaine share will go toward salaries and lab equipment for two chemists on campus; more than $5 million of the grant will go toward creating 40 jobs directly and many more in the community.

The two bills in the Legislature will let the university continue this type of growth. LD 293 puts aside $15 million for more capital improvements related to R&D; LD 643 would raise the ongoing funding level from $4 million to $10 million a year for leveraging federal and private grants. Together they add crucial continuity to the university’s growing — and overdue — R&D program.

Lawmakers considering these proposals can take their cue from voters. The majority who went to the polls knew that the bond money was a smart investment and an ideal way for this geographically isolated state to thrive. The very early returns show this to be the case. Now it’s up to the Legislature not to let a good thing fail just as it gets started.