On the recordMay 20, 2015
I support the Rule on H.R. 2262, the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015 (the SPACE Act of 2015). And I thank Majority Leader McCarthy for sponsoring this important legislation. The space community is well served having Leader McCarthy as a champion. This bill is the product of over three years of work. Congress solicited input from nearly every stakeholder group. That is reflected in the broad support that this bill has received. From industry, to education groups, to grassroots citizen advocacy groups, this bill has been praised by virtually every interested party. The process to getting here was inclusive and exhaustive. The Science, Space, and Technology Committee held numerous hearings on the topic over the last three years. On November 19, 2013, the Committee held a hearing on the commercial space industry. On February 14, 2014, the Committee held a hearing on updates to the Commercial Space Launch Act. On April 29, 2014, the Committee held a hearing on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) space traffic management proposal and orbital debris. On February 27, 2015, the Committee held a hearing on the Commercial Crew program. Last October, staff formally submitted a draft to the minority. Within the last two months, the majority and minority have worked to write many of the provisions in the underlying bill.…
