PLEA Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2809) to amend title 51, United States Code, to provide for the authorization and supervision of nongovernmental space activities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2809, the bill now under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, today, we give space exploration a booster rocket in the form of H.R. 2809, the bipartisan American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act.

The commercial space industry is poised to begin a major new vehicle for discoveries in space and national economic growth. It represents hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and the creation of thousands of jobs across the United States.

For years, there has been uncertainty about which Federal agency has responsibility for approving nontraditional space activities and ensuring conformity with the Outer Space Treaty. This uncertainty has cramped capital formation and innovation and has driven American companies overseas.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act remedies this situation by establishing a new, novel, legal, and policy framework that unleashes American free enterprise and businesses, assures conformity with Outer Space Treaty obligations, and guarantees that the U.S. will lead the world in commercial space activities throughout the 21st century.

H.R. 2809 increases American competitiveness and attracts companies, talents, and money that would otherwise go to other countries. In short, the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act ensures that America and its workforce will benefit from the new space economy.

The need for this legislation became evident during the previous administration when legal uncertainty arose after U.S. space exploration companies sought payload approval from the Department of Transportation for its nontraditional space activities. But the DOT payload approval process is not designed to satisfy the requirements of complying with the Outer Space Treaty, so the Federal Government has been unable to assure the private sector that new and innovative space activities would be approved for launch.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act uses a commonsense approach to establish a sound legal foundation upon which U.S. industry can rely and flourish. It creates a self-certification process for the nongovernmental space activities that provides regulatory certainty for the U.S. commercial space sector, it assures U.S. compliance with Outer Space Treaty obligations, and it addresses national security concerns in the least burdensome manner.

Existing regulatory authority is currently spread across three Federal agencies, which has caused the review of commercial remote sensing applications to grind to a halt. H.R. 2809 consolidates this authority into one Federal agency, the Secretary of Commerce's Office of Space Commerce. The result, America gets a one-stop-shop for authorizing outer space activities.

Without H.R. 2809, America's space industry would continue to face legal uncertainty. Innovation would be stifled by burdensome and open- ended regulatory processes.

Other policies and interests of the United States are affected by private sector space activities, national security, in particular, but the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act improves national security by including remote sensing reform. By requiring a national security risk assessment during the remote sensing permitting process, this bill ensures that national security concerns are addressed.

H.R. 2809 improves the permitting process by creating a single decision point, increasing transparency, avoiding unnecessary reviews of technologies that have already been approved, and preventing the interagency process from indefinitely delaying decisionmaking. These changes allow our remote sensing industry to continue to lead the world.

The bill also goes farther than current law in providing for the physical safety of government assets in orbit. After operations are certified, the government can conduct an assessment of physical safety issues that will prevent disastrous collisions and help protect the safety of government and private assets.

Cosponsors of the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act include Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin and recent Science, Space, and Technology Committee member and now NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine. Both Chairman Babin and Administrator Bridenstine have worked diligently to move this legislation forward. And Representatives Perlmutter, Kilmer, and Soto also helped develop this commonsense, bipartisan regulatory reform bill. Many thanks to all of them.

This transformative and ground-shaking legislation facilitates commercial liftoff and declares that America is fully open for business in space. American innovators, driven by ingenuity, competitive spirit, and bold vision are the future of space exploration.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act.

Mr. Speaker, today we give space exploration a booster rocket in the form of H.R. 2809, the bipartisan American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act. The commercial space industry is poised to begin a major new initiative for discoveries in space and national economic growth. It represents hundreds of billions of dollars in investments and the creation of thousands of jobs across the U.S.

For years there has been uncertainty about which federal agency has responsibility for approving non-traditional space activities and ensuring conformity with the Outer Space Treaty. This uncertainty has cramped capital formation and innovation and has driven American companies overseas.

The Space Commerce Act remedies this situation by establishing a new, novel legal and policy framework that unleashes American free enterprise and businesses, assures conformity with Outer Space Treaty obligations, and guarantees that the U.S. will lead the world in commercial space activities throughout the 21st century.

H.R. 2809 increases American competitiveness and attracts companies, talents, and money that would otherwise go to other countries. In short, the Space Commerce Act ensures that America and its workforce will benefit from the new space economy.

The need for this legislation became evident during the previous Administration when legal uncertainty arose after U.S. space exploration companies sought payload approval from the Department of Transportation (DOT) for its nontraditional space activities.

But the DOT payload approval process is not designed to satisfy the requirements of complying with the Outer Space Treaty. So the federal government has been unable to assure the private sector that new and innovative space activities would be approved for launch.

The Space Commerce Act uses a common sense approach to establish a sound legal foundation upon which U.S. industry can rely and flourish. It creates a self-certification process for non-governmental space activities that provides regulatory certainty for the U.S. commercial space sector. And it assures U.S. compliance with Outer Space Treaty obligations and addresses national security concerns in the least burdensome manner.

Existing regulatory authority is currently spread across three federal agencies, which has caused the review of commercial remote sensing applications to grind to a halt. Space-based remote sensing is the use of satellites to detect and classify objects on Earth, including on the surface and in the atmosphere and oceans, based on electromagnetic radiation. H.R. 2809 consolidates this authority into one federal agency--the Secretary of Commerce's Office of Space Commerce. The result: America gets a ``one-stop shop'' for authorizing outer space activities.

Without H.R. 2809, America's space industry would continue to face legal uncertainty. Innovation would be stifled by burdensome and open- ended regulatory processes.

Other policies and interests of the United States are affected by private sector space activities, national security in particular. But the Space Commerce Act improves national security by including remote sensing reform. By requiring a national security risk assessment

during the remote sensing permitting process, this bill ensures that national security concerns are addressed.

H.R. 2809 improves the permitting process by creating a single decision point, increasing transparency, avoiding unnecessary reviews of technologies that have already been approved, and preventing the interagency process from indefinitely delaying decision making. These changes allow our remote sensing industry to continue to lead the world.

The bill also goes farther than current law in providing for the physical safety of government assets in orbit. After operations are certified, the government can conduct an assessment of physical safety issues that will prevent disastrous collisions and help protect the safety of government and private assets.

Co-sponsors of the Space Commerce Act include Space Subcommittee Chairman Brian Babin and recent Science Committee member, and now NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine. Both Chairman Babin and Administrator Bridenstine have worked diligently to move this legislation forward.

And Representatives Perlmutter, Kilmer, and Soto also helped develop this common sense, bipartisan regulatory reform bill. Many thanks go to all of them.

This transformative and ground-shaking legislation facilitates commercial lift-off and declares that America is fully ``open for business'' in space.

American innovators, driven by ingenuity, competitive spirit and bold vision, are the future of space exploration. I encourage my colleagues to support the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act.

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

House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology,

Washington, DC, April 23, 2018.

Hon. Bill Shuster,

Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am in receipt of your letter to the

Speaker of April 20, 2018, regarding H.R. 2809, the

``American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act.'' H.R. 2809

was referred solely to the Committee on Science, Space, and

Technology. The Science Committee ordered H.R. 2809 reported

on June 8, 2017. Your assistance in ensuring its timely

consideration is greatly appreciated.

I agree provisions in the bill are within the jurisdiction

of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I

acknowledge that by withdrawing your request for a sequential

referral of H.R. 2809, your Committee is not relinquishing

its jurisdiction. A copy of our letters will be placed in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration of this bill.

I value your cooperation and look forward to working with

you as we move ahead with this legislation.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Bera), the ranking member of the Space Subcommittee, for the comments that he just delivered, and also for cosponsoring this piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), the chairman of the Space Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter) for his enthusiasm about space.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), who is a very active member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee and of the Space Subcommittee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I just want to thank, publicly, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy for cosponsoring this legislation as well. I encourage my colleagues to support it, and I appreciate the remarks by the gentleman from California (Mr. Bera).

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record an op-ed that I wrote in January called ``A one-stop-shop for private space exploration.''

[Jan. 22, 2018]

A One-Stop-Shop for Private Space Exploration

(By U.S. Rep. Brian Babin)

In the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted National

Space Council, Vice President Mike Pence called for an

overhaul of how the U.S. regulates commercial space

activities. The potential of a robust economy in space will

``unlock new opportunities, new technologies, and new sources

of prosperity,'' Pence said.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act (H.R.

2809), recently passed by

the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee,

accomplishes the vice president's goals. This bill places

authority over private sector space activities in the agency

best equipped to foster economic growth, the Commerce

Department. The bipartisan legislation streamlines regulatory

processes, limits government intrusion, promotes American

innovation and investment, protects national security and

satisfies our Outer Space Treaty obligations.

As chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology

Committee's space subcommittee, and as a member of the

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have the

unique perspective of overseeing both of these agencies.

Because of this perspective, I believe placing this

responsibility at the Commerce Department is a good long-term

decision for the United States and the space industry.

The Obama administration proposed giving the Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA), housed within the Department

of Transportation (DOT), responsibility for managing a broad

interagency review of all private sector space activity

proposals through an opaque process without defined approval

timelines, regardless of how benign those activities may be.

My committee held numerous hearings on this idea to hear

directly from experts and stakeholders. We found that FAA

accomplishes its current mission--managing launches and re-

entry--very well. However, the agency is challenged to meet

its existing obligations to regulate launch and reentry, and

should not be burdened with the additional responsibility of

authorizing and supervising private activities in space.

Moreover, current law actually prohibits DOT from

regulating activities in space. It only has the ability to

deny a launch if no other agency has licensed the activity.

Congress did not intend or design this authority to create

regulatory authority for on-orbit activities, or

authorization or supervision process for Outer Space Treaty

compliance.

In contrast, the Commerce Department's mission is to

``create the conditions for economic growth and

opportunity,'' and that mission runs deep through the

culture. As the space economy develops, in-space activities

will focus more on commerce, less on transportation

logistics. Mining, habitation modules, and satellite

servicing are only a few of the novel ideas that American

innovators are proposing. These activities are not related to

transportation, and DOT has no experience in this field. The

Commerce Department, however, is familiar with the issues

that future stakeholders will need to consider, including

international trade and technology.

The bill also streamlines the federal space bureaucracy

within the Commerce Department itself. It merges the National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)

responsibilities over space-based remote sensing into the

already-existing Office of Space Commerce within the Commerce

Department. NOAA is itself housed within the Commerce

Department, so having two separate offices handling the same

responsibilities makes no sense.

Reforming this splintered regulatory process minimizes the

burden on other agencies and makes the Commerce Department a

one-stop shop for Outer Space Treaty compliance. Giving DOT

authority, as proposed by the previous administration, would

split the regulatory system, requiring remote-sensing

satellite operators to seek regulatory approval for their

operations from both DOT and the Commerce Department.

Indeed, placing this authority at the Commerce Department

is a continuation of long-standing law and national policy.

Since 1984, Commerce has been the only federal agency with

the legal authority to authorize and supervise space

activities. While the Federal Communications Commission

regulates spectrum and DOT regulates launch and re-entry,

neither has the authority to authorize and supervise space

activities generally to assure compliance with the Outer

Space Treaty.

Some stakeholders have questioned whether the Office of

Space Commerce can handle remote-sensing licensing and

supervising general space activities. The answer is yes. The

Commerce Department already has expertise authorizing and

supervising remote-sensing systems, and the bill's

streamlined review process is more transparent, quicker, and

less burdensome on staff. Importantly, Commerce also has

expertise in balancing national security with commercial

interests, working with American industry internationally and

in regulating space dual-use technologies through the Export

Administration Regulations.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act declares

that America is open for business in outer space. The only

agency with the long-standing experience and culture to

regulate and foster the budding space economy is the Commerce

Department.

With this innovative legislation, which builds on that

culture of transparency and clarity, we position the American

space industry as a leader in growing a robust and lawful

economy in space.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of H.R. 2809, the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act is a commonsense bipartisan bill that streamlines the regulatory processes, limits burdensome government intrusion, promotes American innovation and investment, protects national security, and satisfies our international obligations.

One of the fundamental drivers for this legislation has been that innovative American companies are pushing the boundaries. And when the Senate ratified the Outer Space Treaty 50 years ago, free enterprise in outer space was an idea but was not reality.

Today, not only does U.S. free enterprise exist in outer space, but it is innovating at an unprecedented pace. From astroid mining to private Moon missions, to satellite servicing, to remote sensing constellations, there is great promise that American enterprise will soon unlock new wealth and scientific benefits.

But this promise is threatened; threatened by expansive, unchecked regulatory authority, cumbersome non-transparent regulatory processes, and misperceptions about the United States' Outer Space Treaty obligations.

For several years, we have heard concerns from stakeholders that they need greater regulatory certainty to attract investment and to succeed. Stakeholders also reported that while they want to stay in America, due to regulatory burdens and uncertainty, they might need to go overseas.

The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act addresses these concerns without compromising our cherished principles of liberty and freedom.

It provides for presumptions of approval and requires the government to take affirmative steps before conditioning or denying proposed space or remote sensing operations.

It places the burden of demonstrating inconsistency with Outer Space Treaty obligations and national security requirements of the United States with the government and not the applicant.

It curtails vague, overreaching regulatory authority and prevents tolling of statutory adjudication timelines. It ensures U.S. industry receives a timely and transparent determination on applications.

The bill recognizes legitimate national security equities and provides for the condition or denial of authorized space activities with remote sensing systems that are a significant threat to U.S. national security in certain circumstances. But it protects against abuses of interagency discretion by requiring an explanation and evidence of the threat before conditions or denial can be made.

In order to ensure the Office of Space Commerce is empowered to represent the interests of our citizens and the private sector, the director of the office is elevated to be the new assistant secretary for Space Commerce.

The act also advances important public policy interests. The bill establishes a mandatory safety consultation between private and Federal Government operators. The goal of this consultation is for the affected parties to reach a voluntary agreement to mitigate safety risks.

For parties subject to U.S. jurisdiction, the act provides for Federal district court jurisdiction for any civil action resulting from certified or permitted space operations.

To protect against foreign harmful interference, the act directs the President to protect against acts of foreign aggression and foreign harmful interference.

The act also addresses concerns of harmful contamination of the Earth or celestial bodies. Pursuant to our international obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, operations may be conditioned or denied by the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with appropriate agencies such as NASA to address harmful contamination.

The bill posits longstanding U.S. policy, confirmed by both Department of State and NASA, that COSPAR planetary protection guidelines are not international obligations of the United States. This was done to allow all stakeholders, including the scientific community and industry, to work together as activities expand beyond scientific exploration and to address mutual interests, not by proscribing COSPAR guidelines as binding international law, but by allowing the Outer Space Treaty to guide our activities.

I am grateful to have worked with Chairman Smith and Representative

Bridenstine, recently confirmed as NASA administrator, in the development of this bill.

I am also very glad that this is a bipartisan bill, with the support of Representatives Perlmutter and Kilmer and Bera.

I strongly support this bill and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Again, my op-ed is a very, very telltale reason and shows exactly why this is a great bill to put this under the Department of Commerce and take it out from under the Department of Transportation. For many reasons, I hope that this would be a source of debate and where we will get the reasons for what we are doing with this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 2809, the ``American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act of 2017''. Before turning to my substantive concerns with the bill, I must note my disappointment with the process followed by the Majority--a process that led to the Majority's putting this bill on today's suspension calendar without any attempt to engage with the Minority to address our concerns in the ten months since the bill was marked up in the Science Committee. That is not the way we should be legislating in this House.

However, here we are. I would anticipate that very few Members have had any opportunity to review this legislation or to examine the issues it raises. So in my remaining time, I will attempt to identify a few of the concerns I have with this bill.

First, H.R. 2809 proposes a significant realignment of governmental space organizations, and a very significant increase in the responsibilities and authorities to be given the Department of Commerce's Office of Space Commerce--an office that currently has only a handful of employees. These would include the authorization and supervision of nongovernmental space activities. At the same time, the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST), which has built up significant expertise and staff over the years in the areas of licensing commercial space launches and reentries and which has coordinated authorization of a non-traditional space mission, would have no significant role in any of the commercial space activities covered in this bill beyond launch and reentry licenses. As a result, DoC will have to build a new bureaucracy to carry out its new duties, and in the process have to duplicate the skills that already reside in FAA's AST. All of this would be set in motion without a single House hearing on the proposal or any other substantive review of it.

At the same time that the Department of Commerce is given those significant new responsibilities, including ensuring compliance with the Outer Space Treaty, something that has been and is a core responsibility of the State Department, the bill would significantly limit DoC's ability to disapprove a certification application as long as the paperwork is complete, regardless of any non-Outer Space Treaty- related concerns involving U.S. international obligations that the application might raise. Again, all of these measures are included in the bill without any substantive prior congressional review of the proposals. I could go on and cite other examples, but in the interests of time I will just note that the bill also would significantly weaken the enforcement of the international standards and guidelines covering ``planetary protection'', i.e., the prevention of contamination of scientifically important sites on planetary surfaces or moons that might accrue from commercial space activities. These standards and guidelines were largely shaped by NASA through years of engagement in relevant international bodies, but the bill would replace them with a largely laissez-faire approach to the problem of potential contamination by commercial space activities.

Mr. Speaker, I will stop with that example. I could cite concerns raised by a number of agencies, including NASA, but the reality is that none of them are going to be resolved by today's House debate on the suspension bill H.R. 2809. The potential for unintended negative consequences from provisions that have not been thoroughly vetted should give all of us pause, as should the pages and pages of comments from agencies such as NASA that warrant attention before the Congress finalizes legislation. For example, NASA's has raised a concern about the bill's ambiguity as to whether its activities will be subject to the oversight of another federal agency, especially those that involve the use of commercial services as part of a NASA mission, which could adversely impact its ability to carry out its challenging initiatives.

In closing, the bill before us attempts to address important issues that need our attention if we are to appropriately balance the needs of the emerging commercial space industry and the government's responsibility to protect the interests of America's citizens and honor our international obligations. It makes a positive contribution to the debate on how best to proceed in undertaking future commercial and governmental space endeavors. However, for the reasons I have already discussed, I think the bill is only partially successful in that attempt. In any event, many of these complex issues are not going to be resolved by a single piece of legislation and will likely require legislative efforts over multiple Congresses. That said, the bill before us does represent a useful starting point for discussion and debate. As a result, I do not intend to oppose this bill moving out of the House today. Instead, if after this bill leaves the House, the Senate decides to engage on this legislation or its own legislative approach, I hope and expect that the issues I have flagged today--along with others--will receive the bicameral scrutiny that they deserve.

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. 2809, the ``American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act of 2017.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson for their work to bring H.R. 2809 before the House for consideration.

There is historic congressional support for NASA in Congress, and I am proud to have played a leading role in this effort.

Now that space exploration has attracted strong private sector investments, space exploration has entered a new era.

I served on the House Science Committee for 12 years; and one of the goals was to see private sector investments in space exploration.

This legislation grants the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) of the Department of Commerce the authority to issue certifications to U.S. nationals and nongovernmental entities for the operation of:

1. specified human-made objects manufactured or assembled in outer space, including on the Moon and other celestial bodies, with or without human occupants, that were launched from Earth; and

2. all items carried on such objects that are intended for use in outer space. To be eligible for certification, each entity's application must include a space debris mitigation plan for the space objects.

H.R. 2809 also directs that the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) establish a Private Space Activity Advisory Committee to:

1. analyze the status and recent developments of nongovernmental space activities, and

2. advise on matters relating to U.S. private sector activities in outer space.

The bill authorizes the OSC to issue permits to persons for the operation of space-based remote sensing systems.

The OSC will also establish an Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing to provide advice on matters relating to the U.S. commercial space-based remote sensing industry.

The bill also abolishes the Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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.

However, when the impossible becomes routine, and private sector interest in the area of space exploration attracts investment and further innovation in the area of commercialization it is fitting to support private sector efforts.

We should not forget the role that private and public sector efforts have made in developing and promoting advancements in aviation from its earliest beginnings.

The Wright Brothers were private citizens who devoted themselves to solving the problems associated with human flight.

Their success led others inside and outside of government to pursue innovations that led to the development of technology that ultimately led us into space.

NASA continues to be the world's premier space organization but as innovation and private interest in space continues we must make room for private sector interests.

We must provide for safe and responsible space innovations, while assuring that the United States remains a leader in this area.

H.R. 2809 maintains sustainability of purpose for the government's support of commercial space activities.

The bill lays the ground work for an expansion in commercial space activity and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a steady cadence of science missions that lead the way into deeper exploration of our planet, solar system and beyond.

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

The bill provides a place in the Department of Commerce for remote sensing commercial space activity.

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 ask my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 2809.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2809, the American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act of 2017. As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Space, I support a robust and successful commercial space industry, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on policies that facilitate our Nation's contained growth and leadership in space.

The bill before us today, H.R. 2809, would provide a regulatory framework for U.S. innovative and emerging nongovernmental space activities.

Commercial space launches, space-based remote sensing, and space communications are currently authorized under existing frameworks in the FAA, the Department of Commerce, and the FCC. However, proposed activities such as commercial operations on the Moon, asteroid mining, satellite servicing, and privately owned space habitats are not covered.

The bill establishes a certification process at Commerce for those emerging commercial space activities and, in so doing, provides important certainty for commercial companies and investors in these planned space activities. The bill also makes some updates to the licensing regime for commercial space-based remote sensing systems.

Further, the bill moves the regulatory oversight of commercial space- based remote sensing systems to the Office of Space Commerce under the Secretary of Commerce. The Office of Space Commerce would also have authority for the certification of nontraditional commercial space activities.

Mr. Speaker, I have often spoken about the importance of building a rules-of-the-road framework that does not stifle innovation and provides guardrails for proper government oversight. No bill is perfect, but I believe that this bill strikes a fair balance in achieving the goal of certifying these nontraditional commercial space activities that don't fit within the current regulatory structure.

That being said, while I support moving the bill forward, there are several aspects of H.R. 2809 that deserve further discussion, including ensuring that:

Relevant Federal agencies can weigh in on whether proposed commercial space activities could affect the physical safety of U.S. Government space operations, including human space flight operations;

Making sure that relevant government expertise and measures to perform harmful contamination of planetary surfaces are taken into account;

Making sure that any remaining national security and intelligence agency concerns are addressed;

And making sure additional information is provided on how the consolidated Office of Space Commerce will be properly funded and staffed so it can carry out the additional responsibilities for authorizing commercial space activities and commercial space-based remote sensing under the bill.

I am hopeful that these and other aspects of the bill will be addressed as the bill proceeds, both in the Senate and in any House- Senate conference.

Space is an area that should have bipartisan support from Congress. NASA and the commercial space industry can only benefit when we work together as Democrats and Republicans. As a result, I support passage of this bill, and I ask my colleagues to join me in helping to move this bill out of the House.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter), my good friend and all-around champion of human space travel to Mars by 2033.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I think you have seen the genuine enthusiasm that Democrats and Republicans and all Americans have about space. It is in that spirit of national pride and American leadership that I urge all my colleagues to pass this bill, and, again, to continue to foster American leadership in space and meet that goal that my colleague Mr. Perlmutter often talks about, getting to Mars by 2033.

Mr. Speaker, it has been a pleasure working with the chairman of the full committee and the subcommittee, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.