AL HR527

National Solar Observatory is the primary provider of ground-based solar facilities in the United States and receives $20 million in annual federal funding from the National Science Foundation.

NSO will relocate its operational headquarters in 2014, with the University of Alabama in Huntsville and University of Colorado in Boulder identified as the two finalists for the new location.

A successful relocation to Huntsville would bring 61 highly specialized and well-paid professionals to Alabama and support the missions of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center and the U.S. Army at Redstone Arsenal.

The Alabama House of Representatives urges the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy to relocate NSO headquarters to the University of Alabama in Huntsville campus.

The Legislature commits to working with the Governor and the university to implement a long-range plan to enhance and expand solar physics instruction and research in the state.