Today, the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-Science approved its $56.3 billion FY 2017 legislation on a bipartisan voice vote, boosting the spending allocation by 1 percent over current levels. The full bill text is expected to be released when the legislation is marked up by the full committee Thursday.
Overall, the bill would provide a $71 million boost, to $9.3 billion, for the Department of Commerce, and a $156 billion increase, to $29.2 billion, for the Justice Department. NASA would receive a tiny increase of $21 million to $19.3 billion. The National Science Foundation would receive a $46 million increase to $7.5 billion. The Census Bureau, an agency of the Commerce Department, would receive an increase of $150 million as it prepares for the decennial census in 2020.
NIST
- $974 million for NIST, $10 million above the FY2016 enacted level, to strengthen the U.S. cybersecurity posture through cutting-edge research and development, expand opportunities in the areas of advanced manufacturing, and continue promotion of the highest-quality standards to maintain fairness in the marketplace.
- 25 million for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), which supports private sector efforts in advanced manufacturing by establishing industry-driven institutes through open competition.
NOAA
- $5.7 billion for NOAA, a $33.5 million increase above the FY2016 enacted level for core NOAA operations including: ocean monitoring; fisheries management; coastal grants to states; aquaculture research; and severe weather forecasting.
- The bill provides full funding for NOAA’s flagship weather satellites, which are critical for accurate weather warnings to save lives and protect property. Funding for NOAA continues to target new areas of investment for fisheries management, including the testing and implementation of new technologies and management schemes to expand opportunities for American commercial and recreational fishermen.
- This bill provides $383 million to continue construction of two new polar ‘follow-on’ satellites and $1.5 billion for NOAA’s legacy JPSS and GOES weather satellites. Polar satellites provide 85 percent of the data used to forecast the weather and are a vital component of Americans’ personal, property and economic security.
NASA
- $19.3 billion for NASA, $21 million over the FY2016 enacted level and $1 billion above the FY2017 NASA budget request, to support the human and robotic exploration of space, fund science missions that enhance the understanding of the Earth, the solar system, and the universe, and support fundamental aeronautics research.
- $2.15 billion for the Space Launch System (SLS), which is $150 million above the FY2016 enacted level and $920 million above the request. The SLS is the nation’s launch vehicle that will enable humans to explore space beyond current capabilities. The funding maintains the current schedule for the first launch of SLS, and provides $300 million in critical funding for upper stage engine work for future crewed missions in 2021 and beyond.
- $1.3 billion for the Orion crewed spacecraft, $30 million above the FY2016 enacted level and $247 million above the request, to enable a crewed launch in 2021. Orion is the NASA-crewed vehicle being designed to take astronauts to destinations farther than ever before, including Mars.
- $5.4 billion for Science, $194 million below the FY2016 enacted level and $92.5 million above the request. This funding encompasses missions from the Earth to the Moon, throughout the solar system, and the far reaches of the universe.
- $1.18 billion, the same as the request, to further develop a domestic crew launch capability. Once developed and fully tested, these vehicles will help end the United States’ reliance on Russia for transporting American astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
- $687 million for Space Technology, the same as the FY2016 enacted level and $4.1 million below the request. Funding is included to advance projects that are early in development that will eventually demonstrate capabilities needed for future space exploration.
NSF
- $7.5 billion for NSF, maintaining the FY2016 enacted level. Funding is provided for basic research across all scientific disciplines to support the development of effective Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics [STEM] programs and to grow the next generation of scientists.
- $159 million is provided for the design and construction of three Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRV) instead of the two RCRVs, as proposed by NSF. By having three regional ships, the Gulf of Mexico and the East and West coasts will be able to have their own dedicated RCRV to maximize research time in each region.