To extend the deadline for commencement of construction of a hydroelectric project.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi because it has been truly a pleasure to try to work on something where we are not working for perfection, but we are looking to find agreement and to do the best thing possible that supports the goals of NASA and all of the space industry, but also so that we get something done in this Congress.

I could not have found a more cooperative and helpful working relationship than that that I have with Mr. Palazzo.

I also want to thank the chairman of the full committee, Lamar Smith, and our ranking member, Eddie Bernice Johnson--both of Texas--for supporting a process that leads us to the point we are today.

This bipartisan bill that we are considering, the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, is largely identical to a bill that passed the House last year, H.R. 4412, and it passed with overwhelming support by a vote of 401-2. Unfortunately, time ran out during the last Congress before the Senate was able to take final action to reauthorize NASA, and so here we are.

H.R. 810 authorizes appropriations for 1 year, consistent with the funding levels enacted for fiscal year 2015. Other than relevant date changes, the bill remains unchanged from last year's bipartisan, House- passed H.R. 4412 and retains the important and timely policy direction that NASA needs now to ensure stability and to sustain maximum progress on its programs.

Mr. Speaker, building on the foundation set in H.R. 810, I and my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee will be able to begin work on a multiyear NASA authorization once H.R. 810 is enacted into law, so we have set the process in place.

Why is this bipartisan bill important, and why am I urging my colleagues in the House to vote ``yes'' on this bill should it come to a vote?

Mr. Speaker, the developments in our Nation's civil space program never cease to amaze us and never cease to inspire countless individuals not only in the United States, but across the globe. NASA, as a multimission agency, makes these awe-inspiring contributions not only in human exploration, but across the disciplines of space and earth science, in the development of innovative technologies, in human spaceflight operations and biomedical research, and in aeronautics. It is this multipronged approach that we support today.

In the sciences, NASA is making good progress on developing the James Webb Space Telescope, the next major observatory to follow the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA researchers are using data collected from space to identify new planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, to increase our scientific understanding of Mars and other planets in the solar system, to uncover critical information about our home planet, Earth, and its climate, and to study the Sun and space weather. These programs will lead to new discoveries and deepen our scientific knowledge. In fact, much of NASA's work also benefits our society in terms of new technologies and applied research that can improve the quality of life of all of our citizens.

NASA is taking critical steps now in building the systems that will eventually take humans, as my colleague has said, into deep space. NASA is also overseeing recently awarded contracts to commercial companies that will develop, test, and seek certification for the U.S. commercial space vehicles

that will take NASA astronauts safely to and from the international space station, thereby relieving our sole reliance on Russian partners for access to low-Earth orbit.

We remain committed to a Commercial Crew Program that makes the most efficient use of taxpayer dollars; and as NASA and commercial partners embark on these projects, this bill that we are taking up today puts the highest priority for NASA's Commercial Crew Program on ensuring the safety of our astronauts.

NASA is continuing to lead the highly successful international space station partnership, expand the use of the ISS for commercial, scientific, and exploration-oriented research, and gather critical biomedical information. The ISS is the only orbiting laboratory on which we can prepare for further human exploration and operations in outer space.

The upcoming study of astronaut Scott Kelly, who will soon begin a year's stint on the ISS, and his twin brother, Mark, a former astronaut who will serve as a control subject, is an important undertaking in that regard. We need to examine measures to monitor Scott's health and the health of the NASA family of astronauts both in space and on the ground to gain a long-term perspective on the effects of spaceflight.

Mr. Speaker, if NASA is to be as productive as it can be, it will require constancy of purpose and policy direction. In order for our Nation's space and aeronautics program to succeed, this bipartisan bill provides that constancy. H.R. 810 sets the long-term course of sending humans to the surface of Mars and directs NASA to provide a human exploration roadmap, outlining the capabilities and milestones needed to achieve that goal. Recognizing two of the primary systems needed to accomplish the goal--the Space Launch System, SLS, and Orion crew capsule--this bill directs the expeditious development, test, and achievement of SLS and Orion as the highest priority of NASA's human exploration program.

Further, H.R. 810 also ensures that NASA maintains a strong aeronautics research portfolio, ranging from fundamental research through integrated systems, and it reaffirms the importance of NASA's education activities. NASA's successful STEM education program brings the expertise of its researchers and engineers to bear on STEM activities. That is science, technology, engineering, and math. This bill encourages the administration to continue in that vein.

In addition, the bill includes provisions to advance our scientific and technical knowledge of orbital debris--or space junk--and near- Earth asteroids so that we in Congress can better understand the options for mitigating the risks that they pose.

In closing, NASA is a crown jewel of our Federal Government. Its workers are an important component in our workforce, and the workers through the industry are important to us as well. NASA's space and aeronautics programs help maintain our competitiveness. They serve as a catalyst for innovation and economic growth, and they inspire the next generation to dream big and garner the skills to turn those dreams into action.

NASA and our space program have a long history of bipartisan support. That continues today. NASA needs our constancy of purpose and policy direction now, and this 1-year bill puts us on track to do just that. We will build on that baseline as we work toward a multiyear authorization over the coming year. I look forward to doing that with my colleagues on the committee, and particularly with my colleague from Mississippi.

At this point, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), the ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, having no further requests for time, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, so I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, if the gentleman from Mississippi is prepared to close, I am prepared to close.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank all of my colleagues on the committee for the hard work that has been put into this bipartisan authorization. It is not perfect by any means. There are plenty of things that, between now and the time that we see this go to the President's desk for his signature, we will continue to have input on. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee and our colleagues in the Senate to make sure that we get to the end point.

As I have said and as Ranking Member Johnson has said as well, we look forward to working on a bipartisan, multiyear authorization. Having put this one to bed, we actually now have demonstrated to ourselves and to the American public that we have the ability to get this done.

In closing, I want to thank the committee staff--Allen Li, Pam Whitney, and Dick Obermann--for all of their work and my personal staff, Anne Nelson, as well as the staff on the other side because it really did take an awful lot of staff work and Member work to see this to the finish line. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 810) to authorize the programs of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this is truly a bipartisan bill. The House should be proud of the work the committee has done and continues to do to be inclusive of Members on both sides of the aisle.

In a time of partisanship on Capitol Hill, both Republicans and Democrats came together last year to craft legislation that moves beyond congressional districts and parochial interests.

This bill provides clear and consistent guidance to NASA. The authorization levels are responsible and consistent with the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015. It also continues looking to NASA to provide a strategic roadmap that will guide exploration development in the future.

Space Subcommittee Ranking Member Donna Edwards and I worked long days to put this legislation together last year. While Ms. Edwards and I don't always agree, we are united in our unwavering support for NASA and space exploration during this crucial time in our Nation's history. We are committed to once more launching American astronauts on American rockets from American soil.

I know many of our colleagues agree that American leadership in space is

both a matter of national pride, but also of national security; yet over the last decade, the human exploration program at NASA has been plagued with instability from constantly changing requirements, budgets, and missions.

We cannot continue changing our program of record every time there is a new President. We must be consistent in our commitment to human exploration.

As identified by numerous reports and committees, NASA needs Congress to provide consistency of purpose. That commitment is reflected in today's bipartisan bill, and I am confident it will continue into the future.

The bill before us today requires the agency to develop a human exploration roadmap and provides a framework to build an executable plan for future exploration efforts. NASA must use this plan as an opportunity to utilize assets from all the mission directorates to find the most efficient and effective ways to build technologies and capabilities within constrained budgets.

Both the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle are reaffirmed in this bill, consistent with the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, which laid out very clear guidelines and direction for the development of these systems.

This bill authorizes ample funding for the Commercial Crew Program to ensure safe and ontime development of domestic access to the international space station. There are also oversight provisions to ensure transparency during the development of these systems.

This agreement represents an understanding that both our Commercial Crew partners and those developing SLS and Orion have a crucial role to play in ending our reliance on Russian rockets.

NASA must develop a concrete plan for the future of human exploration if we have any hope of ensuring America's leadership in space. This bill tasks the scientists and engineers at NASA, rather than the administration, to develop such a plan.

As a study last year from the National Academy of Sciences pointed out, ``a return to extended surface operations on the Moon would make significant contributions to a strategy ultimately aimed at landing people on Mars.''

I hope that the roadmap NASA produces in response to this bill will also incorporate the valued guidance from the National Academies, as well as the NASA Advisory Council, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, and the many other groups that advise NASA.

Our bill is not perfect, but it represents a serious bipartisan commitment to space exploration at a critical time in our Nation's space exploration history. As a good steward of taxpayer dollars, I will continue to raise questions and concerns over NASA's budgets.

For instance, since 2007, NASA's earth science budget grew almost 75 percent while NASA's exploration budget remained stagnant. Even with these historic increases, I am worried that the additional responsibilities being thrust on NASA by NOAA and USGS will consume NASA's already challenged budget even more.

The administration continues to advocate for an ever-changing and poorly justified asteroid mission which was universally criticized by all of NASA's advisory groups. One study from the National Academies even called a portion of the mission a ``dead-end technology.''

In these budget-constrained times, NASA must be frugal with its precious exploration resources and focus on core developments, such as the SLS and Orion, which will provide the foundation for any potential deep space missions in the future.

I also have interest in strengthening provisions dealing with cumbersome termination liability requirements, and I hope those can be addressed as we work with the Senate.

American leadership in space depends on our ability to put people and sound policy ahead of politics. This is what we have tried to do with this House bill. This bill has been tested, debated, and passed multiple times over the last year.

It has passed the subcommittee, full committee, and the House once already, and I urge our friends in the Senate to move forward with us by adopting our commonsense compromise and passing the House bill. Our Nation's space program needs this legislation.

Space exploration has always had its challenges, but the United States has always risen to the occasion. This country was built by people who dream big and do the hard things.

I believe the decisions we make today will determine whether the U.S. maintains its leadership in space tomorrow. In the future, as in the past, I hope we will be able to focus mission priorities and goals to ensure our best chances of success.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the full Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

As I close, I would like to acknowledge all the hard work and bipartisan efforts of Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, full committee Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Space Subcommittee Ranking Member Donna Edwards.

Like Ms. Edwards, I also want to acknowledge the work of my personal staff, Patrick Large; Ms. Edwards' personal staff, Anne Nelson; the majority staff, Tom Hammond, Jared Stout, Allison Rose-Sonnesyn, and Christian Rice; and the minority staff, Pam Whitney and Allen Li.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 810, and I yield back the balance of my time.

House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and

Infrastructure,

Washington, DC, February 10, 2015.

Hon. Lamar Smith,

Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Committee, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Smith: I write concerning H.R. 810, the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization

Act of 2015. This legislation includes matters that fall

within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure.

In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 810, the

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo

action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our

mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill

does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the

appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional

claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or

similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X

jurisdiction. I request you urge the Speaker to name members

of the Committee to any conference committee named to

consider such provisions.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the

Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on

the House floor.

Sincerely,

Bill Shuster,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and a former member of the Science Committee I am in strong support of, H.R. 810, The NASA Authorization Act of 2015.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson for their work to bring the NASA Authorization Act of 2015 before the House for consideration.

There is historic congressional support for NASA in Congress, and I am at the forefront of that support.

I served on the House Science Committee for 12 years; and I am in strong support of the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, as the best way forward to strengthen NASA into the future and to avoid dismantling the manned space program.

This legislation will protect American and Texan jobs, saving more than while, driving innovation, and ensure our Nation's youth are encouraged to pursue careers in science, exploration, engineering, technology, and math.

The United States space program has existed for over half a century and my commitment to providing NASA with the resources to carry the agency forward with its ambitious agenda of research, exploration, and discovery is unwavering.

It is our job as members of Congress to make sure that NASA continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, keeping our Nation on the forefront of innovation and exploration.

This bill authorizes programs and projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15).

This authorization bill's funding is consistent with the funding $18,010,200,000 In appropriations for NASA in the Consolidated and Further Appropriations Act, 2015 bill passed at the end of the 113th Congress.

NASA continues to be the world's premier space organization.

This bill seeks to maintain sustainability of purpose and budget for NASA programs, continuing the congressional commitment provided in previous reauthorizations in 2005, 2008, and 2010 to space exploration, both human and robotic.

This legislation makes clear that a human mission to Mars is the goal for NASA's human spaceflight program and requires the development of a roadmap to achieve that goal, as well as biennial updates.

In the near-term, the primary tasks for NASA human spaceflight include:

Realizing the research potential of the International Space Station (ISS) with an Office of Science & Technology Policy-led strategic plan for all science agencies to conduct research on the Station.

Continued commitment to develop the Space Launch System and Orion Crew Vehicle to serve as a backup system to support the ISS if necessary.

NASA will be able to engage in the educational and outreach activities necessary to support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum and inspire the next generation of explorers.

The authorization will assist in building at least one Commercial Crew system (with NASA funds) to carry American astronauts on American rockets safely, reliably, and affordably to and from the International Space Station so that we are no longer reliant on Russia for crew access.

The bill emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady cadence of science missions, including a Europa mission with a goal of launching by 2021.

The bill directs NASA and the NASA to provide Congress with a report assessing the long-term goals of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which includes the Mars 2020 rover.

To reflect the increase in the number of newly discovered planets outside our solar system, the legislation also directs NASA and the NAS to provide an exoplanet exploration strategy.

This bill stresses the importance of completing and expanding the Congressionally mandated near-Earth object survey to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize near-Earth objects 140 meters in diameter or larger.

This authorization addresses an issue of great importance to a sustained and healthy space program.

The bill provides NASA with the agility to develop a plan to better position the agency to have the facilities and infrastructure necessary to meet future requirements including those set forth in the human exploration roadmap.

It is the responsibility of this Congress to ensure that the future of NASA is one of continued progress and that space exploration remains a part of our national destiny.

NASA inspires our children to look to the stars and dream of what they too may achieve one day.

Space exploration allows us to push the bounds of our scientific knowledge, as we carry out research projects not possible within the constraints of planet Earth.

I look forward to the reintroduction of the REAL Space Act this Congress and ask that my colleagues support this important measure.

In recent years, we have seen other nations joining in the space race with varying levels of success.

We applaud these efforts, which include:

The European Space Agency's success in landing a vehicle on a comet that was speeding through deep space; and

China's landing its first rover ``Jade Rabbit'' on the surface of the moon.

Exploration of space remains critical to United States leadership and economic trendsetting position in the global economy.

The future is space, and I support NASA's continued progress to ensure the United States retains its leadership in this vital area of human exploration.

I ask that my colleagues join me in voting for H.R. 810.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 810, the NASA Authorization Act of 2015. NASA is a critical engine of discovery, science, innovation, and inspiration.

During the last Congress, our committee leadership and Members from both sides came together to work through a compromise NASA authorization act. It was for a 1-year bill, but it provided important policy direction to the agency at a time when we in Congress wanted NASA to build on its progress and keep its focus on the priorities established through successive authorization acts. That bipartisan bill passed the House last year by an overwhelming 401-2 margin.

The bill, H.R. 810, which is also a 1-year reauthorization, takes that same policy language and updates the authorization of appropriations to be consistent with the funding levels enacted in fiscal year 2015. The bill also provides necessary date changes where relevant.

While this is not a perfect bill, especially in terms of its short duration and lack of meaningful outyear funding guidance, it includes many important policy provisions that will help guide the future of NASA at a critical time for our space program.

H.R. 810 emphasizes NASA's role as a multimission agency with programs in aeronautics, science, exploration, and human spaceflight. It also establishes a

clear long-term goal of sending humans to the surface of Mars and directs NASA to prepare a human exploration roadmap of what is needed to get there.

The bill also provides policy direction on a host of other priority activities, including space and earth science, aeronautics, space technology, and education, as well as good government directives on curbing cost growth and strengthening program management, among others.

Consistent with the recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, H.R. 810 directs that safety be the highest priority in the commercial human spaceflight program to transport our astronauts to the international space station.

NASA is doing all that it can to make effective progress on its programs thanks to its passionate and dedicated civil servant workforce and extended contractor and academic communities. We want to sustain NASA's progress on critical programs, including the Space Launch System and Orion, by providing consistency and constancy of purpose and direction. This bill enables such stability while providing our committee the time needed to develop a comprehensive multiyear reauthorization of NASA once H.R. 810 is enacted into law.

I want to recognize the efforts of the committee leadership, including our chairman, Lamar Smith, and most especially our subcommittee chairman, Steve Palazzo, and the ranking member, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, for their dedication and willingness to work together with me to achieve this bipartisan bill, H.R. 810, the NASA Authorization Act of 2015.

We need a strong NASA with an inspiring agenda for our children and grandchildren, and we need to fund it at a level commensurate with the tasks we have given them to achieve. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 810, the NASA Authorization Act of 2015.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Space for yielding me time. I also want to thank him and Donna Edwards, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Mo Brooks for sponsoring this bipartisan legislation.

NASA has accomplished some of the most inspiring and technologically advanced space initiatives in the history of humankind. This bill, H.R. 810, the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, helps ensure that the United States will continue its proud tradition of being a world leader in space exploration.

For more than 50 years, the U.S. has led the world in space exploration. The U.S. was the first nation to put a human on the Moon, and NASA's Voyager 1, an American space mission, was the first human- made object to enter interstellar space.

Our astronauts are national heroes. Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Sally Ride are household names. Today's astronauts motivate students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to reach for the stars.

Space exploration is an investment in our Nation's future, sometimes our long-term future. This bill expresses bipartisan confidence in America's space initiatives.

The bill is nearly identical to the one that passed the House last year by a vote of 401-2. It is consistent with current funding levels found in the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for 2015. It contains provisions for the development of American rockets that will take cargo and people to low-Earth orbit and beyond. It supports the James Webb Space Telescope, which will identify and characterize new planets in our galaxy and help researchers look back in time to see how the universe began.

It directs NASA to continue to focus resources on the detection of near-Earth asteroids that may threaten the Earth and its inhabitants. It instructs NASA to design and send a robotic mission to Jupiter's moon Europa to see if any form of life exists in the waters under its icy surface. It directs NASA to work with the National Academies to put together a strategy for finding more exoplanets.

The bill also requires NASA to develop a human exploration roadmap, similar to the recommendation made in last year's National Academy of Sciences report. This roadmap will provide a long-term plan for future human space exploration.

Finally, this bill is an example of how well Congress can work together to accomplish an objective that benefits the entire Nation. I again want to thank Mr. Palazzo, chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, and Ms. Edwards, ranking member of the Subcommittee on Space, for finding common ground on this bill. I also want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas and Representative Mo Brooks from Alabama, for supporting this bill as well.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and to help ensure that the United States maintains its leadership in space.