Now Its The Senate's Turn

The Senate has come up with its own version of a stimulus package. For an overview of the non-tax related portions (spending that is) here's the committee's release:

http://appropriations.senate.gov/News/2009_01_27_Senate_Appropriations_Committee_Approves_American_Recovery_and_Reinvestment_Plan.pdf?CFID=4081109&CFTOKEN=98619761



In essence, this is how it affects us:



Senate Appropriations Stimulus Package:
Overview on Higher Education Related Issues

Infrastructure Improvements:
· School Modernization: $16 billion to repair, renovate and construct public schools in ways that will raise energy efficiency and provide greater access to information technology, and $3.5 billion to improve higher education facilities.

· National Science Foundation (NSF) $350 million for scientific infrastructure.


Research
· National Science Foundation (NSF) Research: $1.4 billion total for NSF including: $1 billion to help America compete globally; and $50 million for competitive grants to improve the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

· National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): $1.5 billion total for NASA including: $500 million for Earth science missions to provide critical data about the Earth’s resources and climate; $250 million to enable research and testing of environmentally responsible aircraft and for verification and validation methods for complex aerospace systems and software; $500 million to reduce the gap in time that the U.S. does not have a vehicle to access the International Space Station; and $250 million for repair, upgrade and construction at NASA facilities.

· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): $1.2 billion total for NOAA, including $772 million to construct and repair NOAA facilities, equipment and vessels; to $80 million to reduce the Nation’s coastal charting backlog; $70 million for supercomputer infrastructure for climate research; and $300 million to restore critical habitat around the Nation.

· National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): $575 million total for NIST including: $357 million for renovation of NIST facilities and new laboratories using green technologies; $218 million for scientific and technical research at NIST to strengthen the agency’s IT infrastructure; provide additional NIST research fellowships; provide substantial funding for advanced research and measurement equipment and supplies; increase external grants for NIST-related research.

· The Department of Energy’s Science program sees $430 million for laboratory infrastructure, for construction, and for advanced computing development.

· $3.5 billion to conduct biomedical research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and stem cells, and to improve NIH facilities.

· $1.1 billion to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH and the HHS Office of the Secretary to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.


Financial Aid
· Pell Grants: $13.9 billion to increase the Pell Grant maximum award and pay for increases in program costs resulting from increased eligibility and higher Pell Grant awards. The bill supports an increased Pell Grant maximum award of $281 in the 2009- 2010 academic year and $400 in the 2010-2011 academic year. This aid will help 7 million students pursue postsecondary education.