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 de-
tect, track, catalogue, and characterize certain near-earth 
asteroids and comets. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘George E. Brown, Jr. 
Near-Earth Object Survey Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Near-Earth objects pose a serious and cred-
ible threat to humankind, as scientists are certain 
that a major asteroid or comet was responsible for
the mass extinction of the majority of the Earth’s 
species, including the dinosaurs, nearly 65,000,000 
years ago. 
(2) Similar objects have struck the Earth or 
passed through the Earth’s atmosphere several times 
in the Earth’s history and pose a similar threat in 
the future. 
(3) Several such near-Earth objects have only 
been discovered within days of the objects’ closest 
approach to Earth, and recent discoveries of such 
large objects indicate that many large near-Earth 
objects remain undiscovered. 
(4) The efforts taken to date by the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration for detecting 
and characterizing the hazards of Earth orbit-cross-
ing asteroids and comets are not sufficient to the 
threat posed by such objects to cause widespread de-
struction and loss of life. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Administrator’’ 
means the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration. 
SEC. 4. NEAR-EARTH OBJECT SURVEY. 
(a) SURVEY PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall 
plan, develop, and implement a Near-Earth Object Survey
program to detect, track, catalogue, and characterize the 
physical characteristics of near-Earth asteroids and com-
ets equal to or greater than 100 meters in diameter in 
order to assess the threat of such near-Earth objects in 
striking the Earth. 
(b) AMENDMENTS.—Section 102 of the National Aer-
onautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2451) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as sub-
section (h); 
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(g) The Congress declares that the general welfare 
and security of the United States require that the unique 
competence of the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration in science and engineering systems be di-
rected to detecting, tracking, cataloguing, and character-
izing near-Earth asteroids and comets in order to provide 
warning and mitigation of the potential hazard of such 
near-Earth objects impacting the Earth.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (h), as so redesignated by 
paragraph (1) of this subsection, by striking ‘‘and 
(f)’’ and inserting ‘‘(f), and (g)’’. 
(c) ANNUAL
REPORT.—The Administrator shall 
transmit to the Congress, not later than February 28 of
each of the next 5 years beginning after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, a report that provides the following: 
(1) A summary of all activities taken pursuant 
to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal year. 
(2) A summary of expenditures for all activities 
pursuant to subsection (a) for the previous fiscal 
year. 
(3) A detailed plan and budget request for all 
activities pursuant to subsection (a) for the next five 
fiscal years from the year that the annual report is 
submitted. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration for the Near-Earth Ob-
ject Survey program described in subsection (a) 
$20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2005 and 2006. 
Amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain 
available for 2 fiscal years. 
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