Jim Sensenbrenner: “I rise in support of H.R. 1654 and urge my colleagues to vote for the conference report so that we can send this…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 1654 and urge my colleagues to vote for the conference report so that we can send this bipartisan bill to the President and have it signed into law. This bill is endorsed by all the conferees, regardless of party, in both the House and the Senate. I wish to express my appreciation for the hard work of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon), and the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) and offer my thanks for their services on the conference committee and their suggestions for compromise without which we would not be on the House floor today. In passing this bill, Congress will help determine the priority investments in science and technology needed to fulfill America's future in space. H.R. 1654, the NASA Authorization Act of 2000, authorizes the activity of our civilian space program for fiscal years 2001 and 2002. The bill authorizes $14,184,400,000 for NASA in fiscal year 2001, which is about $149 million more than the President requested. It also authorizes $14,465,400,000 for NASA in fiscal year 2002, which is $160 million above the President's request. The bill fully funds the request for human space flight, including the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. More importantly, it contains key policy provisions to control cost growth and maintain the schedule of the International Space Station.”