Lamar Smith: “I thank the gentleman from California for yielding, and our thanks go to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy for introducing…”

“I thank the gentleman from California for yielding, and our thanks go to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy for introducing such an important piece of legislation. In fact, we have made him an honorary member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Mr. Chairman, space commercialization, this bill, is the future of space. This bill will encourage the private sector to build rockets, to take risks, and to shoot for the heavens. H.R. 2262, the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015, or SPACE Act, facilitates a progrowth environment for the developing commercial space sector. It creates more stable regulatory conditions and improves safety, which, in turn, attracts private investment. Members of Congress should know that earlier this week the administration officially stated--and this is the most important thing in my view that the administration said, and it was, unfortunately, omitted from the statement awhile ago that the ranking member quoted. Here is what the administration said: It does not oppose House passage of this bill. The SPACE Act secures American leadership in space and fosters the development of advanced space technologies. The SPACE Act preserves the Federal Aviation Administration's ability to regulate commercial human spaceflight in order to protect national security and public health and safety.…”