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Memorandum:
Relevant Federal Legislation
December 22, 2006
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide you with information regarding relevant federal legislation introduced and pending during the 109th session of Congress which began in January 2005 and ended in December 2006. Please note that this memorandum is limited to policy legislation and, therefore, does not include appropriations bills. However, please note that Congress did not finalize 9 of 11 appropriations bills for fiscal year 2007. The only two appropriations bills passed by Congress apply to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Funding for the remaining agencies will remain at the same levels provided in FY 2006.
Any bill that was not passed by Congress prior to its adjournment on December 15, 2006, is cleared from the Congressional docket and must be reintroduced at a later date. The information in this memo includes a brief summary of the legislation, the date of its introduction, its original sponsor, co-sponsors and disposition. Additional details regarding the legislation can be found online at http://thomas.loc.gov.
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
H.R. 50 - NOAA Authorization Act - Would provide organic act for NOAA and create Deputy Assist Secretary for Science and Technology as well as Chief Operating Officer. Introduced by Rep. Vern Ehlers (Michigan) on January 4, 2005. As of this date, there is one co-sponsor: Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (New York). The bill was considered and passed by the House Science Committee on May 19, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 226 - Higher Education Science and Technology Competitiveness Act - Would strengthen and expand scientific and technological education capabilities of colleges that grant associate degrees through the establishment of partnerships with institutions that grant bachelor degrees. Introduced by Rep. John Sweeney (New York) on January 4, 2005. As of this date, there are 40 co-sponsors, none of whom are from California. The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness on February 9, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 426 - Remote Sensing Applications Act - Would promote cooperation between government and industry by encouraging government to make use of commercial data sets. Introduced by Rep. Mark Udall (Colorado) on January 26, 2005. As of this date, there is one co-sponsor: Rep. James Walsh (New York). The bill was considered and passed by the House Science Committee on June 27, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 656 - Commercial Space Launch Act - Would enhance the safety of the commercial human space flight industry. Introduced by Rep. James Oberstar (Minnesota) on February 8, 2005. As of this date, there are no co-sponsors. The bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics on February 22, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 758 - Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force Act - Would establish an interagency aerospace revitalization task force to develop a national strategy for recruitment, training, and cultivation of aerospace workforce. Introduced by Rep. Vernon Ehlers (Michigan) on February 10, 2005. As of this date, there are 30 co-sponsors including Reps. Ellen Tauscher, Buck McKeon, and Lynn Woolsey (California). The bill was passed by the House on October 25, 2005 and referred to the Senate. The Senate passed the bill on December 6, 2006, and became Public Law 109-420 on December 22, 2006.
H.R. 1021 - Space and Aeronautics Prize Act - Would provide prize program to encourage development of space and aeronautics technologies and establish an endowment to further educate and inspire public's interest in space and aeronautics. Introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (California) on March 1, 2005. As of this date, there are no co-sponsors. The bill was referred to the Committee on Science on March 8, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 1022 - George E. Brown Jr. Near-Earth Object Survey Act - Would provide for a Near-Earth Object survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth asteroids and comets. Introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (California) on March 1, 2005. As of this date, there are two co-sponsors: Reps. Jerrold Nadler (New York) and Anthony Weiner (New York). The bill was considered and passed by the House Science Committee on June 27, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 1024 - Zero Gravity, Zero Tax Act of 2005 - Would provide tax incentives for investing in companies involved in space-related activities. Introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (California) on March 1, 2005. As of this date, there are four co-sponsors, including two members of the California Congressional delegation - Rep. Jane Harman and Rep. Ken Calvert. The bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee on March 1, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 2358 - Aeronautics Research and Development Revitalization Act of 2005 - Would restore aeronautics funding at NASA to a level of $1.057 billion, establish a national policy for aeronautics, and identify breakthrough research and development initiatives. Introduced by Rep. Mark Udall (Colorado) on May 12, 2005. As of this date, there are 19 co-sponsors, including Rep. Jim Costa (California). The bill was referred to the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee on May 18, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 2364 - Science and Technology Scholarship Program Act - Would award scholarships to recruit and prepare students for careers in NOAA and National Weather Service programs. Introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (California) on May 16, 2005. As of this date, there are no co-sponsors. The bill was considered and passed by the House Science Committee on June 23, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 2862 - Science/State/Justice/Commerce (NASA Appropriations) - Would fund NASA at a level of $16.5 billion, including $3.1 billion for space exploration and $906 million for aeronautics. Directs President to develop a national aeronautics policy. Approved by Subcommittee on May 24, 2005, and Full Committee on June 7, 2005. The House passed this bill on June 16, 2005, and the Senate on September 15, 2005. The bill was signed by the President and became Public Law 109-108.
H.R. 3039 - National and Commercial Space Programs - Would enact Title 51, United States Code. Introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin) on June 22, 2005. As of this date, there is one co-sponsor. Bill referred to Judiciary Committee on June 22, 2005. No further action was taken.
H.R. 3070 - NASA Authorization Act of 2006 - Authorizes $16.45 billion for NASA activities, including space exploration. Bill calls for return of U.S. to the Moon by 2020, retires the space shuttle in 2010 and recommends launching the Crew Exploration Vehicle as close to 2010 as possible. In addition, the bill requires the development of a national aeronautics policy and plans for a human mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. Bill passed by House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee on June 29, 2005. The House Science Committee passed the bill on July 18, 2005, and the full House of Representatives passed the bill on July 22, 2005. This bill was incorporated into S. 1281 and was signed by the President as Public Law 109-155 on December 30, 2005.
H.R. 3643 - Spaceport Equality Act of 2005 - Would amend the Internal Revenue Code to treat spaceports like airports under the exempt facility bond rules. Introduced by Rep. Dave Weldon (Florida) on July 29, 2005. As of this date, there are no co-sponsors. The bill was referred to the Ways and Means Committee on July 29, 2005.
H.R. 4003 - Iran Non-Proliferation Amendments Act of 2005 - Would allow payments to be made to Russia in connection with the International Space Station. Introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (Texas) on October 6, 2005. This bill was incorporated into S. 1713, signed by the President and became Public Law 109-112 on November 22, 2005.
SENATE
S. 242 - Columbia Space Shuttle Memorials Act of 2005 - Would establish four memorials for Space Shuttle Columbia at sites with the state of Texas on which Columbia debris was located. Introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) on February 1, 2005. As of this date, there is one co-sponsor, Sen. John Cornyn (Texas). The bill was referred to the Committee on National Parks on December 2, 2005. No further action was taken.
S. 1281 - NASA Authorization Act of 2006 - Authorizes $16.5 billion for NASA activities and supports NASA's space exploration initiative. Prohibits NASA from retiring the space shuttle until a replacement crewed launch vehicle is ready. Bill passed by Subcommittee on June 23, 2005 and by Committee on July 26, 2005. Senate passed bill on September 28, 2005. The bill was signed by the President and became Public Law 109-155 on December 30, 2005.
S. 1713 - Iran Non-Proliferation Amendments Act of 2005 - Would allow payments to be made to Russia in connection with the International Space Station. Introduced by Sen. Richard Lugar on September 15, 2005. Bill passed by Senate on September 21, 2005, and by House on October 26, 2005. The President signed the bill on November 22, 2005, and it became Public Law 109-112.
Thomas Legislative Information.
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