Senate Panel Backs $240 Million Increase for NSF

A U.S. Senate panel approved legislation Tuesday that would increase spending on the National Science Foundation by $240 million, or about 3.2 percent, in the 2013 fiscal year. The bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, science, and related agencies would provide $7.3 billion for the NSF. The legislation would also provide a slight cut in funds for science programs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and a slight increase for the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology.