[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  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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