Senate NASA Plan Good for Houston – But Will It Go Anywhere?

The Houston Chronicle says that the Senate draft bill for NASA is good for the region, although it’s not clear how much of the bill will survive the inevitable negotiations and horse trading:

A draft budget bill for NASA released by the Senate on Tuesday suggests Congress will not accept President Barack Obama’s proposed revision of the space agency without a fight. The Senate bill seeks to extend the life of the space shuttle program by a year, accelerate development of a heavy-lift rocket and preserve elements of the Houston-based Constellation Program.

“The proposed bill as it stands transitions NASA’s skilled work force to an executable long-term mission, and it preserves and utilizes our $100 billion investment in the International Space Station,” said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

Hutchison negotiated the Senate bill, which will be considered by the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation on Thursday, with committee chairman Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and former astronaut Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Although there is some relief in Houston, there is also uncertainty about how far the Senate plan will go:

So what happens now? This Thursday the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation will mark up the proposed legislation (see draft of the bill). It seems likely to come out of committee during the next couple of weeks as it has the support of its primary authors, Sens. Bill Nelson, Kay Bailey Hutchison and committee chairman John Rockefeller.

Although the bill although the bill may well have the support of a majority of Senators, the real stumbling block will be obtaining full Senate approval. This can be done through one of two ways: unanimous consent of the Senate, or a floor debate and vote.

As I understand that the President does not support the Senate bill, it seems likely that unanimous consent will not be obtained from the Senate. Therefore the bill must be scheduled for the debate by the Senate Majority leader. That’s Harry Reid, who is unlikely to schedule legislation for debate that the President does not like.

“We’re in a pretty tough spot,” one Senate staffer admitted to me Tuesday.

As a result this bill is likely to be a significant new waypoint in negotiations with the President. There are some pretty big issues to be resolved here, most notably the President’s desire to scrap most of the Constellation Program, and Congress’ desire to carry key elements of it forward.

Read Eric Berger’s stories here and here.