Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that she advanced $2,186,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Challenger Learning Center of Maine in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill. The bill, which was officially approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today, now awaits consideration by the full Senate and House.
“STEM programs are fundamental for students to explore their interests, ignite creativity, and learn about possible future career options,” said Senator Collins. “Jobs in the STEM sectors are becoming increasingly more relevant and organizations such as the Challenger Learning Center of Maine are helping to shape Maine’s future workforce. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for this funding as the appropriations process moves forward.”
“Challenger Maine plays an important role in the STEM workforce pipeline, educating and inspiring the future STEM workforce,” said Kirsten Hibbard, Executive Director of the Challenger Learning Center of Maine. “The upgrade would allow Challenger Maine to expand its current mission and STEM offerings by continuing to be relevant with NASA’s mission objectives, have programming to reach more grade levels, become compliant with current ADA guidelines, and thus, serve more Maine students.”
The Challenger Learning Center of Maine provides in-person and virtual STEM programming for K-12 students across the entire state and operates multiple space mission simulators at its Bangor facility. This funding would support modernization efforts to Challenger Maine facilities, helping to increase the accessibility of STEM programs to reach a broader population.
This funding advanced through the markup of the FY24 CJS appropriations bill—an important formal step that a Senate Committee takes to move a bill to the floor for consideration by the full Senate. During a markup, members debate, amend, and vote on whether to advance legislation. It is a key part of regular order, which helps our government function efficiently and deliver results for the people of Maine and America.
In 2021, Congress reinstituted Congressionally Directed Spending. Following this decision, Senator Collins has secured more than $500 million for hundreds of Maine projects for FY2022 and FY2023. As the Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins is committed to championing targeted investments that will benefit Maine communities.
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