Sandy Supplemental Clears Senate, Awaits President's Signature-NASA To Get $15 Million–UPDATE

UPDATE, January 30, 2013:  President Obama signed the bill into law last night.

ORIGINAL STORY, January 29, 2013: Exactly one month after it initially passed legislation to help victims of Hurricane Sandy, yesterday the Senate voted to approve similar legislation, clearing the measure to be sent to the President and signed into law.   At that point NASA will be due $15 million and NOAA about $500 million.

The Senate passed a $60.4 billion aid bill on December 28, 2012, but the House did not consider it during the closing days of the 112th Congress. The process had to begin anew for the 113th Congress.  

The House split the bill into two parts, passing one (P.L. 113-1) on January 4 and the second (H.R. 152) on January 15.  Together the bills provide just about the same amount of funding as the original Senate bill, including the money for NASA and NOAA (NOAA’s money is not directly targeted for satellite programs, however).  The NASA funds are for NASA “facilities damaged by Hurricane Sandy,” a reference apparently to Wallops Flight Facility on the coast of Virginia and Kennedy Space Center in Florida though they are not specified.

The Senate has been in recess for most of mid-January, so yesterday was the first opportunity to pass the House version.  The measure has not yet been sent to the President for signature, but he is expected to sign it when it reaches his desk.