I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4544 

To provide for a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, 

catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth asteroids and comets. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 9, 2004 

Mr. ROHRABACHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Science 

A BILL 

To provide for a Near-Earth Object Survey program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth 

asteroids and comets. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘George E. Brown, Jr. 

5 Near-Earth Object Survey Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and cred9 ible threat to humankind, as scientists are certain 

10 that a major asteroid or comet was responsible for 
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1 the mass extinction of the majority of the Earth’s 

2 species, including the dinosaurs, nearly 65,000,000 

3 years ago. 

4 (2) Similar objects have struck the Earth or 

5 passed through the Earth’s atmosphere several times 

6 in the Earth’s history and pose a similar threat in 

7 the future. 

8 (3) Several such near-Earth objects have only 

9 been discovered within days of the objects’ closest 

10 approach to Earth, and recent discoveries of such 

11 large objects indicate that many large near-Earth 

12 objects remain undiscovered. 

13 (4) The efforts taken to date by the National 

14 Aeronautics and Space Administration for detecting 

15 and characterizing the hazards of Earth orbit-cross16 ing asteroids and comets are not sufficient to the 

17 threat posed by such objects to cause widespread de18 struction and loss of life. 

19 SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 

20 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ 

21 means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 

22 Space Administration. 

23 SEC. 4. NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY. 

24 (a) SURVEY PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall 

25 plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth Object Survey 
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1 program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the 

2 physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids and com3 ets equal to or greater than 100 meters in diameter in 

4 order to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects in 

5 striking the Earth. 

6 (b) AMENDMENTS.—Section 102 of the National Aer7 onautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub10 section (h); 

11 (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol12 lowing new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(g) The Congress declares that the general welfare 

14 and security of the United States require that the unique 

15 competence of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad16 ministration in science and engineering systems be di17 rected to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, and character18 izing near-Earth asteroids and comets in order to provide 

19 warning and mitigation of the potential hazard of such 

20 near-Earth objects impacting the Earth.’’; and 

21 (3) in subsection (h), as so redesignated by 

22 paragraph (1) of this subsection, by striking ‘‘and 

23 (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘(f), and (g)’’. 

24 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator shall 

25 transmit to the Congress, not later than February 28 of 
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1 each of the next 5 years beginning after the date of enact2 ment of this Act, a report that provides the following: 

3 (1) A summary of all activities taken pursuant 

4 to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal year. 

5 (2) A summary of expenditures for all activities 

6 pursuant to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal 

7 year. 

8 (3) A detailed plan and budget request for all 

9 activities pursuant to subsection (a) for the next five 

10 fiscal years from the year that the annual report is 

11 submitted. 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to the National Aero14 nautics and Space Administration for the Near-Earth Ob15 ject Survey program described in subsection (a) 

16 $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 and 2006. 

17 Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain 

18 available for 2 fiscal years. 

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