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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10320 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10320

To amend title 51, United States Code, to establish a Commercial Space 
         Transportation Administration, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2024

  Mr. Kiley (for himself and Mr. Fong) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend title 51, United States Code, to establish a Commercial Space 
         Transportation Administration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``New Space Age Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 50921 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 50921. Commercial Space Transportation Administration
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department of 
Transportation a Commercial Space Transportation Administration to--
            ``(1) accelerate the growth of the commercial space 
        transportation industry of the United States;
            ``(2) ensure United States technological leadership in 
        space; and
            ``(3) protect the public health and safety, safety of 
        property, national security interests, and foreign policy 
        interests of the United States during commercial launch and 
        reentry activities.
    ``(b) Administrator.--The Commercial Space Transportation 
Administration shall be headed by an Administrator who is appointed by 
the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The 
Administrator shall report directly to the Secretary of Transportation. 
The Administrator shall have at least 5 years of experience in the 
space industry or in a government agency or office in the commercial 
space industry.
    ``(c) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Administrator of the 
Commercial Space Transportation Administration shall--
            ``(1) exercise the authorities of the Secretary of 
        Transportation with respect to commercial space launch and 
        reentry activities, including the authorities provided under 
        chapter 509 of title 51;
            ``(2) encourage the development of technologies and 
        capabilities of the commercial space transportation industry of 
        the United States;
            ``(3) maintain the competitive edge of the United States in 
        commercial space activities;
            ``(4) coordinate activities with other agencies and 
        departments of the Federal Government, including the Federal 
        Communications Commission, the Department of Commerce, the 
        National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal 
        Aviation Administration, and the Department of Defense, to 
        streamline and expedite the approval of licenses necessary for 
        the timely conduct of commercial space launch and reentry 
        activities; and
            ``(5) issue regulations concerning commercial space launch 
        and reentry activities that appropriately manage--
                    ``(A) commercial requirements for timely approval 
                or denial of license and permit applications or 
                modifications to such applications;
                    ``(B) advantages in technology developed or 
                manufactured in the United States;
                    ``(C) responsiveness and readiness of commercial 
                space launches to meet commercial and national security 
                needs, including by minimizing delays as a result of 
                licensing and authorization processes; and
                    ``(D) public safety concerns.
    ``(d) Transfer.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of the New Space Age Act of 2024, the Secretary shall 
transfer the authorities to be exercised by the Administrator of the 
Commercial Space Transportation Administration from the Federal 
Aviation Administration or any other agency of the Department of 
Transportation.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary for the activities of the Commercial 
Space Transportation Administration $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028, of which not less than 75 percent of the 
amount appropriated--
            ``(1) shall be reserved only for use in the timely and 
        expeditious processing of applications for licenses and 
        authorizations; and
            ``(2) may not be used in the development or promulgation of 
        regulations.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for title 51, United States 
Code, is amended by striking the item relating to section 50921 and 
inserting the following:

``50921. Commercial Space Transportation Administration.''.

SEC. 3. LAUNCH AND REENTRY WORKING GROUP.

    (a) Disestablishment.--The Common Standards Working Group 
established by the Department of the Air Force, the Federal Aviation 
Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
shall be disestablished not more than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act. The records, responsibilities, and duties of 
such Working Group shall be assumed by the working group established 
pursuant to subsection (b).
    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a working group, to be known as the ``Launch and Reentry Working 
Group'', to recommend to the Secretary safety standards intended to 
protect the public and critical assets on Federal space launch ranges 
from hazards associated with space launch and reentry events.
    (c) Members.--The Launch and Reentry Working Group shall be made up 
of--
            (1) the Administrator of the Commercial Space 
        Transportation Administration;
            (2) the Chief of Space Operations;
            (3) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration;
            (4) representatives from commercial space launch or reentry 
        operators with a proven history of successful launch or reentry 
        activities licensed by the Commercial Space Transportation 
        Administration or the Office of the Associate Administrator for 
        Commercial Space Transportation; and
            (5) not more than 4 non-governmental members with specific 
        expertise in space launch and reentry, to be appointed by the 
        Secretary of Transportation, that are not representatives of 
        commercial space launch and reentry providers described in 
        paragraph (4).
    (d) Additional Procedures.--The Launch and Reentry Working Group 
shall--
            (1) make its methodologies for calculating risks and 
        standards available to an operator of a launch or reentry 
        vehicle system within 7 days of a request by such operator 
        impacted by such methodologies;
            (2) in approving new risk models, data products, other 
        safety recommendations, or in conducting other significant 
        business--
                    (A) require recorded approval from a majority of 
                the participants of the Working Group; and
                    (B) not allow nonconcurrence or abstention by a 
                single or multiple members of the Working Group to 
                disrupt or delay the approval;
            (3) make all relevant data available to space launch and 
        reentry providers, government agencies, and other responsible 
        bodies upon request;
            (4) conduct the work of the Working Group in a timely 
        manner, including through regularly scheduled meetings and, as 
        required, emergency meetings; and
            (5) ensure that recommendations are based on real-world, 
        probabilistic assessments and discount hypotheticals based on 
        unproven assumptions or technologies.

SEC. 3. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Transportation shall update the charter of the 
Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (DOT/FAA Order 
1110.124I) to--
            (1) encourage greater participation from industry and 
        nongovernmental experts;
            (2) require that the Advisory Committee establish the 
        agenda of the Committee independently of any requests from the 
        Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration;
            (3) ensure that the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
        Administration or, once established, the Commercial Space 
        Transportation Administration is using the Advisory Committee 
        to receive input from external sources in order to inform 
        governmental activities;
            (4) require that the Advisory Committee transmit to the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
        the House of Representatives not less than annually a report 
        that includes all agenda items proposed by the Advisory 
        Committee, including any agenda items that are not accepted by 
        the Secretary; and
            (5) require that the Secretary make available not later 
        than December 31 of each year a public report detailing the 
        total expenses incurred by or reasonably caused by the Advisory 
        Committee, including the number of hours consumed by full 
        Committee and working group meetings and in-kind contributions 
        that may include the value of time provided by Federal 
        Government employees, in the calendar year in which such report 
        is prepared, as well as a cumulative accounting of all prior 
        expenses incurred, to the maximum extent practicable.

SEC. 3. SPACE-RELATED ADVISORY RULEMAKING COMMITTEES.

    Section 50903 of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(e) FACA.--Chapter 10 of title 5 (commonly known as `the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act') does not apply to such space-related 
rulemaking committees under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of 
Transportation as the Secretary may designate.''.
                                 <all>
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