The Senate Committee on Appropriations this morning advanced a funding bill that includes $25 million for Regional Innovation Strategies — $4 million more than the current funding round. Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) spoke to the importance of funding scientific innovation in a statement, and the bill strongly supports many science-related activities. The bill would provide level funding of $140 million for MEP; increase NSF to $8.1 billion (nearly $100 million less than the House bill), with more for research, STEM education and EPSCoR; and, NASA would see a nearly $600 million increase, including $179 million more for science and $10 million more for education.