S.Amdt. 1752

SA 1752. Mr. HEINRICH (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Donnelly, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Graham, Ms. Stabenow, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Markey, Mr. Udall, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Moran)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1463
proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize
appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the
Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle F of title III, add the following:

SEC. 355. STARBASE PROGRAM.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The budget of the President for fiscal year 2016
requested no funding for the Department of Defense STARBASE
program.
(2) The purpose of the STARBASE program is to improve the
knowledge and skills of students in kindergarten through 12th
grade in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) subjects, to connect them to the military, and to
motivate them to explore science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics and possible military careers as they
continue their education.
(3) The STARBASE program currently operates at 76 locations
in 40 States and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,
primarily on military installations.
(4) To date, nearly 750,000 students have participated in
the STARBASE program.
(5) The STARBASE program is a highly effective program run
by dedicated members of the Armed Forces and strengthens the
relationships between the military, communities, and local
school districts.
(6) The budget of the President for fiscal year 2016 seeks
to eliminate funding for the STARBASE program for that fiscal
year due to a reorganization of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics programs throughout the Federal
Government.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the STARBASE program should continue to be funded by the
Department of Defense.
(c) Funding.--Of the amount authorized to be appropriated
for fiscal year 2016 by section 301 and available for the
Department of Defense for operation and maintenance, Defense-
wide, as specified in the funding table in section 4301--
(1) the amount available for the STARBASE program is hereby
increased by $25,000,000; and
(2) the amount available by reason of increased bulk fuel
cost savings is hereby decreased by $25,000,000.
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