National Spaceport Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Spaceport Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) spaceport development is a national economic interest 
        that should be pursued as part of a national transportation 
        policy;
            (2) many nations around the world, including France, China, 
        Russia, Japan, Canada, and Australia, have embarked on 
        aggressive commercial space development programs;
            (3) the United States, once the leader in the commercial 
        space market, is in danger of falling behind in the 
        international commercial space market;
            (4) the Government must clearly demonstrate its commitment 
        to support commercial space activity in America, thereby 
        encouraging greater financial support from private industry;
            (5) the United States must develop a long-term, 
        comprehensive, and aggressive policy to successfully compete in 
        the international commercial space market, to return the United 
        States to its position of primary world supplier of launch 
        services; and
            (6) spaceport development is the key component in this 
        endeavor because it provides the final piece--launch 
        facilities--to the existing parts of the United States 
        commercial space market.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``spaceport'' means a space 
launch or recovery facility, or a supporting educational or research 
facility providing space industry worker training or commercial 
application research, designated by a State in an application approved 
under section 5.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL SPACEPORT OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department of 
Transportation a National Spaceport Office.
    (b) Staff.--The National Spaceport Office shall have a staff 
consisting of a director, 4 regional supervisors, and not more than 5 
additional support staff.
    (c) Duties.--The National Spaceport Office shall--
            (1) administer the application and assistance program under 
        section 5; and
            (2) establish appropriate procedures for--
                    (A) the competitive awarding of grants under 
                section 5(b)(1); and
                    (B) the transfer of excess Federal property to 
                spaceports under section 5(b)(3), while ensuring that 
                the spaceport compensates the Federal Government for 
                the Federal expenses of operating facilities in 
                connection with property so transferred.
SEC. 5. SPACEPORT ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Application.--A State or State-designated entity, including a 
nonprofit organization, desiring assistance under this section shall 
submit an application to the National Spaceport Office requesting 
specifically the Federal assistance sought and setting forth a 
comprehensive plan for spaceport development, including the educational 
components of such development.
    (b) Assistance.--The National Spaceport Office shall approve 
meritorious applications submitted under subsection (a) and provide to 
the successful applicants assistance, including--
            (1) grants, to the extent of available funding under 
        section 9;
            (2) the use of excess Federal launch, recovery, launch 
        vehicle, and support assets, consistent with applicable 
        international agreements, for educational launches; and
            (3) excess Federal property, including research facilities, 
        by transfer.

SEC. 6. TAX-EXEMPT BOND FINANCING FOR SPACEPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 142 of the Internal 
Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to exempt facility bonds) is amended by 
striking ``or'' at the end of paragraph (11), by striking the period at 
the end of paragraph (12) and inserting ``, or'', and by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(13) spaceports (as defined in section 3 of the National 
        Spaceport Act).''
    (b) Treatment Comparable To Airports.--
            (1) Subparagraph (A) of section 142(b)(1) of such Code is 
        amended by striking ``or (12)'' and inserting ``(12), or 
        (13)''.
            (2) Subsection (c) of section 142 of such Code is amended 
        by striking ``or (11)'' each place it appears and inserting 
        ``(11), or (13)''.
            (3) Paragraph (3) of section 146(g) of such Code is amended 
        by striking ``or (12)'' and all that follows and inserting 
        ``(12), or (13) of section 142(a), and''.
    (c) Treatment of Property Owned By Designated Tax-Exempt 
Entities.--Paragraph (1) of section 142(b) of such Code is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) Spaceport facilities owned by designated tax-
                exempt entities.--For purposes of subparagraph (A), a 
                spaceport shall be treated as owned by a governmental 
                unit if it is owned by an entity which is exempt from 
                tax under section 501(a) and which is designated by the 
                State in which the spaceport is located to develop and 
                operate the spaceport.''
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to obligations issued after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.

SEC. 7. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAW.

    Except as otherwise provided in this Act, activities of spaceports 
shall be subject to applicable provisions of chapter 701 of title 49, 
United States Code, relating to commercial space transportation.

SEC. 8. REGULATORY EXEMPTION.

    The activities of the National Spaceport Office and of spaceports 
shall not be subject to regulation by the Federal Government except as 
provided in--
            (1) this Act;
            (2) chapter 701 of title 49, United States Code; and
            (3) applicable laws relating to worker and workplace 
        safety.

SEC. 9. ANNUAL REPORT.

    The director of the National Spaceport Office shall annually 
transmit to the Congress a report on its activities under this Act.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 
Transportation, out of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund established 
under section 9502 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
9502), for carrying out this Act $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 1996 through 2000.

SEC. 11. TERMINATION OF NATIONAL SPACEPORT OFFICE.

    The National Spaceport Office shall terminate on October 1, 2000.

Summary: National Spaceport Act - Establishes in the Department of Transportation a National Spaceport Office to administer a grant program of State-run spaceports. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide tax-exempt bond financing for spaceports. Authorizes appropriations. Terminates the Office on October 1, 2000.