Dana Rohrabacher: “I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of the conference report on H.R. 658. This legislation goes a…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in support of the conference report on H.R. 658. This legislation goes a long way in addressing some concerns I have had regarding our Nation's aviation enterprise. Two of those provisions I would highlight this morning: The first is an extension of a provision from legislation that I supported back in 2004 when I was chairman of the Space Subcommittee of the House Science Committee. {time} 1030 Let me note that these provisions inaccurately were just described as not having had hearings. There were lots of hearings on these provisions. The provisions relate to the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation and are designed to make certain the FAA does not limit the development of the commercial human spaceflight industry without specific data about what will increase safety. This extension will encourage continued research and development while building industrywide flight experience so these companies can best serve new and existing markets. This includes expanding the research portfolio for federally funded science in the upper atmosphere and in space. The second provision provides a slight increase in the number of flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport so that it can accommodate these flights to and from the west coast.…”