Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support H.R. 2262, the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015, or the SPACE Act. Since 2004, when Congress last amended the Commercial Space Launch Act, commercial space companies have made significant contributions to space technology development and helped to strengthen American leadership in space. Congress must keep up with the changes in the industry, and the CSLA needs to be updated to ensure that the space sector can flourish in the years to come. Currently, all major spacefaring nations require some form of third- party liability insurance for launching entities. The indemnification regime of the CSLA expires next year. The act would extend indemnification to 2025 in order to prevent U.S. launches from going overseas and taking high-tech American jobs with them. In a letter praising the act's extension of the indemnification, Tom Stroup, president of the Satellite Industry Association, wisely stated that the act is ``an important step in maintaining U.S. innovation and leadership in satellite launch and one that promotes overall access to space.'' Several other groups, such as the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, have had similar comments praising the extension. Moreover, this bill promotes stability and flexibility in the commercial space market through regulatory reform.…”