Senate Appropriations Panel Approves Spending on Student Aid and NIH

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved on Thursday level funds for most student-aid programs in the 2011 fiscal year and a $1-billion increase for the National Institutes of Health, leaving unchanged the spending decisions made at a subcommittee session on Tuesday. Many campus-based student-aid programs would receive flat funds under the legislation, as would the Pell Grant program. That differs from the House version of the spending bill, which would supply about $5.7-billion more to the need-based aid program, to cover a budget shortfall, and would maintain the maximum Pell award at $5,550 in the fiscal year, which starts on October 1. The Senate version does not deal with the deficit, but committee members said during the session that it would be discussed when the full Senate takes up the bill or during a conference with the House to reconcile the bills.