Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed into law a bill Thursday that supporters see as important to helping the state attract a national biodefense laboratory.

The bill allows the state Department of Transportation to subsidize air service to Manhattan’s regional airport for two years, starting July 1. The subsidies could total $2 million.

Local officials want improved air service to help the economy and nearby Fort Riley. But they also believe it will help lure the proposed, $451 million National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility on the Kansas State University campus.

Kansas is competing with Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas for the new lab, which would replace an aging facility at Plum Island, N.Y.