To require a certification and report related to the enhanced multi mission parachute system.

SA 1031. Mr. TILLIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2018 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle C of title I, add the following:

SEC. ___. CERTIFICATION OF THE ENHANCED MULTI MISSION
PARACHUTE SYSTEM FOR THE UNITED STATES MARINE
CORPS.

(a) Certification.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall
submit to the congressional defense committees a
certification--
(1) whether either the Marine Corps' currently fielded
multi mission parachute system or the Army's RA-1 parachute
system meet the Marine Corps requirements;
(2) whether the Marine Corps' PARIS, Special Application
Parachute meets the Marine Corps requirement;
(3) whether the testing plan for the enhanced multi mission
parachute system meets all regulatory requirements; and
(4) whether the Department of the Navy has determined that
a high glide canopy is as safe and effective as the currently
fielded free fall parachute systems.
(b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit
to the congressional defense committees a report that
includes--
(1) an explanation for using the Parachute Industry
Association specification for a military parachute given that
sports parachutes are employed from relatively slow flying
civilian aircraft at altitudes below 10,000 feet;
(2) a cost estimate for any new equipment and training that
the Marine Corps will require in order to employ a high glide
parachute;
(3) justification of why the Department of the Navy is not
conducting any testing until first article testing; and
(4) an assessment of the risks associated with high glide
canopies with a focus on how the Department of the Navy will
mitigate the risk for malfunctions experienced in other high
glide canopy programs.
______