The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to authorize an additional $202 million in bonds for a new, national biodefense lab in Manhattan.

The bill advanced Tuesday on a voice vote after brief debate. Approval on a second vote scheduled Wednesday would send it to the House.

Brownback has said the measure fulfills the state’s commitment to fund part of the cost of the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility at Kansas State University.

The lab would research dangerous animal diseases and replace an aging facility on Plum Island, N.Y. Its projected cost has more than doubled to $1.15 billion since Kansas landed it in 2009.

Kansas previously authorized $105 million in bonds for the lab. President Barack Obama’s latest budget proposal includes $714 million for the project.