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Earth $274,360,000, to be derived from amounts other-
wise authorized by this title.
(b) OPERATING PLAN.—The Administrator shall,
within 30 days after the later of—
(1) the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) the date of the enactment of the Act mak-
ing appropriations for the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration for fiscal year 1996,
transmit to the Committee on Science of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate an operating
plan which identifies which amounts will be transferred
pursuant to subsection (a).
(c) LIMITATION
ON OBLIGATION
AND EXPENDI-
TURE.—None of the funds authorized by subsection (a)
shall be available for obligation or expenditure until—
(1) the National Academy of Sciences has con-
ducted a comprehensive review of the Mission to
Planet Earth program as part of its study of the
United States Global Change Research Program;
(2) the Administrator has reported to the Com-
mittee on Science of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a plan for implement-
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ing the study’s recommendations and a formal re-
quest for all or part of such funds; and
(3) 90 legislative days have passed after the re-
port is transmitted under paragraph (2).
SEC. 217. LIMITED AVAILABILITY.
Nothing in this title shall interfere with the rights
of any parties under contracts. Nothing in this title shall
preclude the Consortium for International Earth Science
Information Network from receiving a contract awarded
following a full and open competition.
CHAPTER 2—RESTRUCTURING THE NA-
TIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE AD-
MINISTRATION
SEC. 221. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) the restructuring of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration is essential to ac-
complishing the space missions of the United States
while simultaneously balancing the Federal budget;
(2) to restructure the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration rapidly without reducing mis-
sion content and safety requires objective financial
judgment;
(3) no effort has been undertaken by the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration to per-
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form a formal economic review of its missions and
the Federal assets that support them;
(4) therefore it is premature and unwarranted
to attempt closing any National Aeronautics and
Space Administration field center until an asset-
based review of United States space missions and
capabilities to support them is performed; and
(5) cost savings from the closing of National
Aeronautics and Space Administration field centers
are speculative and potentially injurious to mission
goals, unless derived from an asset-based analysis.
SEC. 222. ASSET-BASED REVIEW.
(a) REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.—Not later than 30
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator shall publish in the Commerce Business Daily
a request for proposals to perform a National Aeronautics
and Space Administration asset-based review.
(b) QUALIFIED PROPOSALS.—Qualified proposals to
perform the asset-based review under this section shall be
from United States persons whose primary business is cor-
porate financial strategy, investment banking, accounting,
or asset management. All proposals shall, at a minimum,
propose to review, for each capital asset owned by the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration—
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(1) its primary function or purpose in relation-
ship to a program, mission, or activity of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration;
(2) the existence of other capital assets which
duplicate or overlap with such function or purpose;
(3) the Federal and non-Federal users thereof;
and
(4) its necessity to carry out a program, mis-
sion, or activity of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration.
(c) REPORT.—The contractor selected to perform the
asset-based review under this section shall complete such
review and transmit to the Administrator and the Con-
gress, no later than July 31, 1996, a report containing,
at a minimum—
(1) for each National Aeronautics and Space
Administration field center facility—
(A) a list of capital assets that should be
permanently retired or disposed of;
(B) a list of capital assets that may be
transferred to non-Federal institutions and cor-
porations, if the transfer of such asset is cost
effective; and
(C) a list of capital assets essential to the
conduct of National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
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ministration programs, missions, or activities,
and a justification for retaining the asset;
(2) for each National Aeronautics and Space
Administration program element—
(A) a list of capital assets essential to the
conduct of the program element; and
(B) a plan for achieving the most cost-ef-
fective consolidation and efficient use of nec-
essary capital assets to support such program
element, including the use of non-Federal assets
where appropriate; and
(3) for each National Aeronautics and Space
Administration capital asset—
(A) the total annual cost of maintaining
and operating such capital asset, including Fed-
eral employee and contractor costs;
(B) the depreciated cost, replacement cost,
and salvage value; and
(C) the most cost-effective strategy for
maintaining, replacing, upgrading, or disposing
of the capital asset, as appropriate.
(d) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Administrator shall
consider the results of the asset-based review conducted
under this section, and based on the Administrator’s rec-
ommendations, the President shall propose to Congress
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legislation required to implement those recommendations
no later than September 30, 1996.
(e) CLOSING OF FIELD CENTERS.—The Adminis-
trator shall not close any National Aeronautics and Space
Administration field center until after the asset-based re-
view report is transmitted under subsection (c), and may
only close field centers that would become obsolete as a
result of the implementation of the Administrator’s rec-
ommendations, and may do so only after enactment of leg-
islation implementing those recommendations.
CHAPTER 3—LIMITATIONS AND SPECIAL
AUTHORITY
SEC. 231. USE OF FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION.
(a) AUTHORIZED USES.—Funds appropriated under
sections 211(a), 212(a), and 213 (1) and (2), and funds
appropriated for research operations support under sec-
tion 213(4), may be used for the construction of new fa-
cilities and additions to, repair of, rehabilitation of, or
modification of existing facilities at any location in support
of the purposes for which such funds are authorized.
(b) LIMITATION.—None of the funds pursuant to
subsection (a) may be expended for a project, the esti-
mated cost of which to the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, including collateral equipment, ex-
ceeds $500,000, until 30 days have passed after the Ad-