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(B) the cost of counterfeit electronic parts 
and suspect counterfeit electronic parts and the 
cost of rework or corrective action that may be 
required to remedy the use or inclusion of such 
parts are not allowable costs under Administra-
tion contracts, unless— 
(i) the covered contractor has an oper-
ational system to detect and avoid counter-
feit parts and suspect counterfeit electronic 
parts that has been reviewed and approved 
by the Administration or the Department 
of Defense; 
(ii) the covered contractor provides 
timely notice to the Administration pursu-
ant to paragraph (4); or 
(iii) the counterfeit electronic parts or 
suspect counterfeit electronic parts were 
provided to the contractor as Government 
property in accordance with part 45 of the 
Federal Acquisition Regulation. 
(3) SUPPLIERS OF ELECTRONIC PARTS.—The 
revised regulations issued pursuant to paragraph (1) 
shall— 
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(A) require that the Administration and 
Administration contractors and subcontractors 
at all tiers— 
(i) obtain electronic parts that are in 
production or currently available in stock 
from the original manufacturers of the 
parts or their authorized dealers, or from 
suppliers who obtain such parts exclusively 
from the original manufacturers of the 
parts or their authorized dealers; and 
(ii) obtain electronic parts that are 
not in production or currently available in 
stock from suppliers that meet qualifica-
tion requirements established pursuant to 
subparagraph (C); 
(B) establish documented requirements 
consistent with published industry standards or 
Government contract requirements for— 
(i) notification of the Administration; 
and 
(ii) inspection, testing, and authen-
tication of electronic parts that the Admin-
istration or an Administration contractor 
or subcontractor obtains from any source 
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other than a source described in subpara-
graph (A); 
(C) establish qualification requirements, 
consistent with the requirements of section 
2319 of title 10, United States Code, pursuant 
to which the Administration may identify sup-
pliers that have appropriate policies and proce-
dures in place to detect and avoid counterfeit 
electronic parts and suspect counterfeit elec-
tronic parts; and 
(D) authorize Administration contractors 
and subcontractors to identify and use addi-
tional suppliers beyond those identified pursu-
ant to subparagraph (C) provided that— 
(i) the standards and processes for 
identifying such suppliers comply with es-
tablished industry standards; 
(ii) the contractor or subcontractor 
assumes responsibility for the authenticity 
of parts provided by such suppliers as pro-
vided in paragraph (2); and 
(iii) the selection of such suppliers is 
subject to review and audit by appropriate 
Administration officials. 
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(4) TIMELY NOTIFICATION.—The revised regu-
lations issued pursuant to paragraph (1) shall re-
quire that any Administration contractor or subcon-
tractor who becomes aware, or has reason to sus-
pect, that any end item, component, part, or mate-
rial contained in supplies purchased by the Adminis-
tration, or purchased by a contractor or subcon-
tractor for delivery to, or on behalf of, the Adminis-
tration, contains counterfeit electronic parts or sus-
pect counterfeit electronic parts, shall provide notifi-
cation to the applicable Administration contracting 
officer within 30 calendar days. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the re-
vised regulations specified in subsection (a) have been im-
plemented, the Administrator shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report updat-
ing the Administration’s actions to prevent counterfeit 
electronic parts from entering the supply chain as de-
scribed in its October 2011 report pursuant to section 
1206(d) of the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis-
tration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18444(d)). 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘elec-
tronic part’’ means a discrete electronic component, in-
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cluding a microcircuit, transistor, capacitor, resistor, or 
diode that is intended for use in a safety or mission critical 
application. 
SEC. 712. SPACE ACT AGREEMENTS. 
(a) COST SHARING.—To the extent that the Adminis-
trator determines practicable, the funds provided by the 
Government under a funded Space Act Agreement shall 
not exceed the total amount provided by other parties to 
the Space Act Agreement. 
(b) NEED.—A funded Space Act Agreement may be 
used only when the use of a standard contract, grant, or 
cooperative agreement is not feasible or appropriate, as 
determined by the Associate Administrator for Procure-
ment. 
(c) PUBLIC NOTICE AND COMMENT.—The Adminis-
trator shall make available for public notice and comment 
each proposed Space Act Agreement at least 30 days be-
fore entering into such agreement, with appropriate 
redactions for proprietary, sensitive, or classified informa-
tion. 
(d) TRANSPARENCY.—The Administrator shall pub-
licly disclose on the Administration’s website and make 
available in a searchable format each Space Act Agree-
ment, with appropriate redactions for proprietary, sen-
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sitive, or classified information, not later than 60 days 
after such agreement is signed. 
(e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 
(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 days 
after the end of each fiscal year, the Administrator 
shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans-
portation of the Senate a report on the use of Space 
Act Agreement authority by the Administration dur-
ing the previous fiscal year. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report shall include for 
each Space Act Agreement in effect at the time of 
the report— 
(A) an indication of whether the agreement 
is a reimbursable, nonreimbursable, or funded 
Space Act Agreement; 
(B) a description of— 
(i) the subject and terms; 
(ii) the parties; 
(iii) the responsible— 
(I) mission directorate; 
(II) center; or 
(III) headquarters element; 
(iv) the value; 
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(v) the extent of the cost sharing 
among Federal Government and non-Fed-
eral sources; 
(vi) the time period or schedule; and 
(vii) all milestones; and 
(C) an indication of whether the agreement 
was renewed during the previous fiscal year. 
(3) ANTICIPATED
AGREEMENTS.—The report 
shall also include a list of all anticipated reimburs-
able, nonreimbursable, and funded Space Act Agree-
ments for the upcoming fiscal year. 
(4) CUMULATIVE
PROGRAM
BENEFITS.—The 
report shall also include, with respect to the Space 
Act Agreements covered by the report, a summary 
of— 
(A) the technology areas in which research 
projects were conducted under such agreements; 
(B) the extent to which the use of the 
Space Act Agreements— 
(i) has contributed to a broadening of 
the technology and industrial base avail-
able for meeting Administration needs; and 
(ii) has fostered within the technology 
and industrial base new relationships and 
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practices that support the United States; 
and 
(C) the total amount of value received by 
the Federal Government during the fiscal year 
pursuant to such Space Act Agreements. 
SEC. 713. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT ACCIDENT INVESTIGA-
TIONS. 
Section 70702(a) of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) any other orbital or suborbital space vehi-
cle carrying humans— 
‘‘(A) that is owned by the Federal Govern-
ment; or 
‘‘(B) that is being used pursuant to a con-
tract or Space Act Agreement, as defined in 
section 2 of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 
2015, with the Federal Government for car-
rying a researcher or payload funded by the 
Federal Government; or’’. 
SEC. 714. FULLEST COMMERCIAL USE OF SPACE. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
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the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
on current and continuing efforts by the Administration 
to ‘‘seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, 
the fullest commercial use of space,’’ as described in sec-
tion 20102(c) of title 51, United States Code. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required under sub-
section (a) shall include— 
(1) an assessment of the Administration’s ef-
forts to comply with the policy; 
(2) an explanation of criteria used to define 
compliance; 
(3) a description of programs, policies, and ac-
tivities the Administration is using, and will continue 
to use, to ensure compliance; 
(4) an explanation of how the Administration 
could expand on the efforts to comply; and 
(5) a summary of all current and planned ac-
tivities pursuant to this policy. 
(c) BARRIERS TO FULLEST COMMERCIAL USE OF 
SPACE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
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on current and continuing efforts by the Administration 
to reduce impediments, bureaucracy, redundancy, and 
burdens to ensure the fullest commercial use of space as 
required by section 20102(c) of title 51, United States 
Code. 
SEC. 715. ORBITAL DEBRIS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that orbital debris 
poses serious risks to the operational space capabilities of 
the United States and that an international commitment 
and integrated strategic plan are needed to mitigate the 
growth of orbital debris wherever possible. Congress finds 
the delay in the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s 
submission of a report on the status of international co-
ordination and development of mitigation strategies to be 
inconsistent with such risks. 
(b) REPORTS.— 
(1) COORDINATION.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator shall provide the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate with a report on the 
status of efforts to coordinate with countries within 
the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Com-
mittee to mitigate the effects and growth of orbital 
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debris as required by section 1202(b)(1) of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18441(b)(1)). 
(2) MITIGATION STRATEGY.—Not later than 90 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
shall provide the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate with a report on the status of 
the orbital debris mitigation strategy required under 
section 1202(b)(2) of the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 
U.S.C. 18441(b)(2)). 
SEC. 716. REVIEW OF ORBITAL DEBRIS REMOVAL CON-
CEPTS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the amount of orbital debris in low-Earth orbit 
poses risks for human activities and robotic spacecraft and 
that this debris may increase due to collisions between ex-
isting debris objects. Understanding options to address 
and remove orbital debris is important for ensuring safe 
and effective spacecraft operations in low-Earth orbit. 
(b) REVIEW.—The Administrator, in collaboration 
with other relevant Federal agencies, shall solicit and re-
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view concepts and technological options for removing or-
bital debris from low-Earth orbit. The solicitation and re-
view shall also address the requirements for and feasibility 
of developing and implementing each of the options. 
(c) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
provide a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate on the solicitation and review required under sub-
section (b). 
SEC. 
717. 
USE 
OF 
OPERATIONAL 
COMMERCIAL 
SUB-
ORBITAL VEHICLES FOR RESEARCH, DEVEL-
OPMENT, AND EDUCATION. 
(a) POLICY.—The Administrator shall develop a pol-
icy on the use of operational commercial reusable sub-
orbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific and engi-
neering investigations and educational activities. 
(b) PLAN.—The Administrator shall prepare a plan 
on the Administration’s use of operational commercial re-
usable suborbital flight vehicles for carrying out scientific 
and engineering investigations and educational activities. 
The plan shall— 
(1) describe the purposes for which the Admin-
istration intends to use such vehicles; 
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(2) describe the processes required to support 
such use, including the criteria used to determine 
which scientific and engineering investigations and 
educational activities are selected for a suborbital 
flight; 
(3) describe Administration, space flight oper-
ator, and supporting contractor responsibilities for 
developing standard payload interfaces and con-
ducting payload safety analyses, payload integration 
and processing, payload operations, and safety as-
surance for Administration-sponsored space flight 
participants, among other functions required to fly 
Administration-sponsored payloads and space flight 
participants on operational commercial suborbital ve-
hicles; 
(4) identify Administration-provided hardware, 
software, or services that may be provided to com-
mercial reusable suborbital space flight operators on 
a cost-reimbursable basis, through agreements or 
contracts entered into under section 20113(e) of 
title 51, United States Code; and 
(5) describe the United States Government and 
space flight operator responsibilities for liability and 
indemnification with respect to commercial sub-
orbital vehicle flights that involve Administration- 
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sponsored payloads or activities, Administration-sup-
ported space flight participants, or other Adminis-
tration-related contributions. 
(c) ASSESSMENT OF CAPABILITIES AND RISKS.—The 
Administrator shall assess and characterize the potential 
capabilities and performance of commercial reusable sub-
orbital vehicles for addressing scientific research, includ-
ing research requiring access to low-gravity and micro-
gravity environments, for carrying out technology dem-
onstrations related to science, exploration, or space oper-
ations requirements, and for providing opportunities for 
educating and training space scientists and engineers, 
once those vehicles become operational. The assessment 
shall also characterize the risks of using potential commer-
cial reusable suborbital flights to Administration-spon-
sored researchers and scientific investigations and flight 
hardware. 
(d) TRANSMITTAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
transmit the plan and assessment described in subsections 
(b) and (c) to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
(e) ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORTS.—In conjunction 
with the Administration’s annual budget request justifica-
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tion for each fiscal year, the Administrator shall transmit 
a report to the Committee on Science, Space, and Tech-
nology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate 
describing progress in carrying out the Commercial Reus-
able Suborbital Research Program, including the number 
and type of suborbital missions planned in each fiscal 
year. 
(f) INDEMNIFICATION AND LIABILITY.—The Admin-
istrator shall not proceed with a request for proposals, 
award any contract, commit any United States Govern-
ment funds, or enter into any other agreement for the pro-
vision of a commercial reusable suborbital vehicle launch 
service for an Administration-sponsored spaceflight partic-
ipant until transmittal of the plan and assessment speci-
fied in subsections (b) and (c), the liability issues associ-
ated with the use of such systems by the United States 
Government have been addressed, and the liability and in-
demnification provisions that are planned to be included 
in such contracts or agreements have been provided to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
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SEC. 718. FUNDAMENTAL SPACE LIFE AND PHYSICAL 
SCIENCES RESEARCH. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It the sense of Congress 
that fundamental, discovery-based space life and physical 
sciences research is critical for enabling space exploration, 
protecting humans in space, and providing societal bene-
fits, and that the space environment facilitates the ad-
vancement of understanding of the life sciences and phys-
ical sciences. Space life and physical science research con-
tributes to advancing science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics research, and provides careers and training 
opportunities in academia, Federal laboratories, and com-
mercial industry. Congress encourages the Administrator 
to augment discovery-based fundamental research and to 
establish requirements reflecting the importance of such 
research in keeping with the priorities established in the 
National Academies’ decadal survey entitled ‘‘Recapturing 
a Future for Space Exploration: Life and Physical 
Sciences Research for a New Era’’. 
(b) BUDGET REQUEST.—The Administrator shall in-
clude as part of the Administration’s annual budget re-
quest for each fiscal year a budget line for fundamental 
space life and physical sciences research, devoted to com-
petitive, peer-reviewed grants, that is separate from the 
International Space Station Operations account. 
(c) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
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mentation of those recommendations, and any options that 
might be considered as part of the response. 
(c) TRANSMITTAL.—The response required under 
subsection (b) shall be transmitted to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate not later than 6 months 
after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 727. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ACCESS TO OBSERVA-
TIONAL DATA SETS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Administration 
should prioritize the development of tools and interfaces 
that make publicly available observational data sets more 
easy to access, analyze, manipulate, and understand for 
students, teachers, and the American public at large, with 
a particular focus on K–12 and undergraduate STEM 
education settings. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 10, 
2015. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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