dollars to making maximum progress in meeting the 
established technical goals and schedule milestones 
of these programs. 
SEC. 2. NASA TERMINATION LIABILITY. 
(a) GENERAL RULE.—Termination liability costs for 
a covered program shall be provided only pursuant to this 
section. 
(b) PROHIBITION ON RESERVING FUNDS.—The Ad-
ministrator may not reserve funds from amounts appro-
priated for a covered program, and shall direct prime con-
tractors not to reserve funds, for potential termination li-
ability costs with respect to a covered program. 
(c) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the intent of Con-
gress that funds authorized to be appropriated for covered 
programs be applied in meeting established technical goals 
and schedule milestones. 
(d) VOID CONTRACTUAL PROVISIONS.—Any provi-
sion in a prime contract entered into before the date of 
enactment of this Act that provides for the payment of 
termination liability costs through any means other than 
as provided in this section is hereby declared to be void 
and unenforceable. 
(e) CONGRESSIONAL ACTION; NOTICE.— 
(1) TERMINATION
FOR
CONVENIENCE.—The 
Administrator may not initiate termination for the 
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convenience of the Government of a prime contract 
on a covered program unless such program termi-
nation is authorized or required by a law enacted 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(2) TERMINATION FOR CAUSE.—The Adminis-
trator shall notify the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate before initiating termination 
for cause of a prime contract on a covered program. 
(f) SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION REQUEST.— 
(1) REQUEST.—If the Administrator decides to 
terminate a prime contract on a covered program, 
and sufficient unobligated appropriations are not 
available to cover termination liability costs in the 
appropriations account that is funding the prime 
contract being terminated, the Administrator shall 
provide to Congress a notification that an authoriza-
tion of appropriations is necessary not later than 
120 days in advance of the proposed contract settle-
ment for the covered program. 
(2) INTENT OF CONGRESS.—It is the intent of 
Congress to provide additional authorization for ap-
propriations as may be necessary to pay termination 
liability costs on prime contracts for covered pro-
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grams if Congress deems it appropriate that the Ad-
ministration terminate such prime contracts. 
SEC. 3. REPORTING. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter for the duration 
of the prime contracts on covered programs, the Adminis-
trator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate a report that provides— 
(1) the estimated termination liability costs for 
each of the prime contracts; and 
(2) the basis for how such estimate was deter-
mined. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATION.—The term ‘‘Administra-
tion’’ means the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration. 
(2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Administra-
tion. 
(3) COVERED
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘covered 
program’’ means the International Space Station, 
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the Space Launch System, and the Orion crew cap-
sule. 
(4) ORION CREW CAPSULE.—The term ‘‘Orion 
crew capsule’’ refers to the multipurpose crew vehi-
cle described in section 303 of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 
of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18323). 
(5) PRIME
CONTRACTOR.—The term ‘‘prime 
contractor’’ means a person or entity contracting di-
rectly with the Federal Government on a covered 
program. 
(6) SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘Space 
Launch System’’ refers to the follow-on Government- 
owned civil launch system developed, managed, and 
operated by the Administration to serve as a key 
component to expand human presence beyond low- 
Earth orbit, as described in section 302 of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322). 
(7) TERMINATION LIABILITY COSTS.—The term 
‘‘termination liability costs’’ means any costs in-
curred by a prime contractor, or by any subcon-
tractor of a prime contractor, for which the Federal 
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Government is liable as a result of termination of a 
prime contract by the Administrator. 
Æ 
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