WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema partnered with Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) to reintroduce the 21st Century Space Grant Modernization Act—bipartisan legislation that protects space education and research funding at Arizona universities.
“Arizona universities lead the nation for space exploration and innovation. Our bipartisan bill updates and protects the Space Grant Program, ensuring students across Arizona have access to high quality STEM education,” said Sinema.
The 21st Century Space Grant Modernization Act ensures universities receive their fair share of annual funding from NASA and reforms the National Space Grant College and Fellowship program to better support state-based space education and research programs. As part of the Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, each state creates a Space Grant Consortium which provides funding for space-related research, workforce training, and education programs throughout the state. The Arizona Space Grant Consortium consists of Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. In recent years, NASA’s office of STEM Engagement has diverted a portion of Space Grant funding to cover administrative overhead and unrelated programs, which deprives states, including Arizona, of federal funding upon which they rely.
Last year this bill was included in NASA reauthorization and passed out of full Senate.
