HR 4412 RFS2
(1) increase student interest and participation 
in STEM education; 
(2) improve public literacy in STEM; 
(3) employ proven strategies for improving stu-
dent learning and teaching; 
(4) provide curriculum support materials; and 
(5) create and support opportunities for profes-
sional development for STEM teachers. 
(c) ORGANIZATION.—In order to ensure the inspira-
tion and engagement of children and the general public, 
the Administration shall continue its STEM education and 
outreach activities within the Science, Aeronautics Re-
search, Space Operations, and Exploration Mission Direc-
torates. 
(d) CONTINUATION OF EDUCATION AND OUTREACH 
ACTIVITIES
AND PROGRAMS.—The Administrator shall 
continue to carry out education and outreach programs 
and activities through the Office of Education and the Ad-
ministration mission directorates and shall continue to en-
gage, to the maximum extent practicable, Administration 
and Administration-supported researchers and engineers 
in carrying out those programs and activities. 
(e) CONTINUATION OF SPACE GRANT PROGRAM.— 
The Administrator shall continue to operate the National 
Space Grant College and Fellowship program through a 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
national network consisting of a State-based consortium 
in each State that provides flexibility to the States, with 
the objective of providing hands-on research, training, and 
education programs, with measurable outcomes, to en-
hance America’s STEM education and workforce. 
(f) REAFFIRMATION OF POLICY.—Congress reaffirms 
its commitment to informal science education at science 
centers and planetariums as set forth in section 616 of 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Au-
thorization Act of 2005 (51 U.S.C. 40907). 
SEC. 602. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL SPACE 
GRANT COLLEGE AND FELLOWSHIP PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the National Space Grant College and Fellow-
ship Program, which was established in the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
1988 (42 U.S.C. 2486 et seq.), has been an important 
program by which the Federal Government has partnered 
with State and local governments, universities, private in-
dustry, and other organizations to enhance the under-
standing and use of space and aeronautics activities and 
their benefits through education, fostering of interdiscipli-
nary and multidisciplinary space research and training, 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00082
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
and supporting Federal funding for graduate fellowships 
in space-related fields, among other purposes. 
(b) REVIEW.—The Administrator shall enter into an 
arrangement with the National Academies for— 
(1) a review of the National Space Grant Col-
lege and Fellowship Program, including its structure 
and capabilities for supporting science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics education and train-
ing consistent with the National Science and Tech-
nology Council’s Federal Science, Technology, Engi-
neering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education 5- 
Year Strategic Plan; and 
(2) recommendations on measures, if needed, to 
enhance the Program’s effectiveness and mecha-
nisms by which any increases in funding appro-
priated by Congress can be applied. 
(c) NATIONAL SPACE GRANT COLLEGE AND FEL-
LOWSHIP PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) PURPOSES.—Section 40301 of title 51, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (5); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00083
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(7) support outreach to primary and sec-
ondary schools to help support STEM engagement 
and learning at the K-12 level and to encourage K- 
12 students to pursue postsecondary degrees in 
fields related to space.’’. 
(2) REGIONAL CONSORTIUM.—Section 40306 of 
title 51, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 
and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respec-
tively; and 
(ii) by inserting after paragraph (1) 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(2) INCLUSION OF 2-YEAR INSTITUTIONS.—A 
space grant regional consortium designated in para-
graph (1)(B) may include one or more 2-year insti-
tutions of higher education.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘para-
graphs (2)(C) and (3)(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘para-
graphs (3)(C) and (4)(D)’’. 
SEC. 603. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Administrator 
should make the continuation of the Administration’s Mi-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00084
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
nority University Research and Education Program a pri-
ority in order to further STEM education for underrep-
resented students. 
TITLE VII—POLICY PROVISIONS 
SEC. 701. ASTEROID RETRIEVAL MISSION. 
(a) ASTEROID RETRIEVAL REPORT.—Not later than 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Ad-
ministrator shall provide to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report on the proposed Asteroid 
Retrieval Mission. Such report shall include— 
(1) a detailed budget profile, including cost esti-
mates for the development of all necessary tech-
nologies and spacecraft required for the mission; 
(2) a detailed technical plan that includes mile-
stones and a specific schedule; 
(3) a description of the technologies and capa-
bilities anticipated to be gained from the proposed 
mission that will enable future human missions to 
Mars which could not be gained by lunar missions; 
(4) a description of the technologies and capa-
bilities anticipated to be gained from the proposed 
mission that will enable future planetary defense 
missions, against impact threats from near-Earth 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00085
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
objects equal to or greater than 140 meters in di-
ameter, which could not be gained by robotic mis-
sions; and 
(5) a complete assessment by the Small Bodies 
Assessment Group and the National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration Advisory Council of how the 
proposed mission is in the strategic interests of the 
United States in space exploration. 
(b) MARS FLYBY REPORT.—Not later than 60 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, an independent, 
private systems engineering and technical assistance orga-
nization contracted by the Human Exploration Operations 
Mission Directorate shall transmit to the Administrator, 
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 
analyzing the proposal for a Mars Flyby human 
spaceflight mission to be launched in 2021. Such report 
shall include— 
(1) a technical development, test, fielding, and 
operations plan using the Space Launch System and 
other systems to successfully mount a Mars Flyby 
mission by 2021; 
(2) a description of the benefits in scientific 
knowledge and technologies demonstrated by a Mars 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00086
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
Flyby mission to be launched in 2021 suitable for 
future Mars missions; and 
(3) an annual budget profile, including cost es-
timates, for the development test, fielding, and oper-
ations plan to carry out a Mars Flyby mission 
through 2021 and comparison of that budget profile 
to the 5-year budget profile contained in the Presi-
dent’s Budget request for fiscal year 2015. 
(c) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 
transmittal of the report specified in subsection (b), the 
Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate an assessment by the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration Advisory Council of 
whether the proposal for a Mars Flyby Mission to be 
launched in 2021 is in the strategic interests of the United 
States in space exploration. 
(d) CREWED
MISSION.—The report transmitted 
under subsection (b) may consider a crewed mission with 
the Space Launch System in cis-lunar space prior to the 
Mars Flyby mission in 2021. 
SEC. 702. TERMINATION LIABILITY SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that: 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00087
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
(1) The International Space Station, the Space 
Launch System, and the Orion crew capsule will en-
able the Nation to continue operations in low-Earth 
orbit and to send its astronauts to deep space. The 
James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize our 
understanding of star and planet formation and how 
galaxies evolved and advance the search for the ori-
gins of our universe. As a result of their unique ca-
pabilities and their critical contribution to the future 
of space exploration, these systems have been des-
ignated by Congress and the Administration as pri-
ority investments. 
(2) In addition, contractors are currently hold-
ing program funding, estimated to be in the hun-
dreds of millions of dollars, to cover the potential 
termination liability should the Government choose 
to terminate a program for convenience. As a result, 
hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are unavail-
able for meaningful work on these programs. 
(3) According to the Government Accountability 
Office, the Administration procures most of its 
goods and services through contracts, and it termi-
nates very few of them. In fiscal year 2010, the Ad-
ministration terminated 28 of 16,343 active con-
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00088
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
tracts and orders—a termination rate of about 0.17 
percent. 
(4) The Administration should vigorously pur-
sue a policy on termination liability that maximizes 
the utilization of its appropriated funds to make 
maximum progress in meeting established technical 
goals and schedule milestones on these high-priority 
programs. 
SEC. 703. BASELINE AND COST CONTROLS. 
Section 30104 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘Proce-
dural Requirements 7120.5c, dated March 22, 
2005’’ and inserting ‘‘Procedural Requirements 
7120.5E, dated August 14, 2012’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘beginning 18 
months after the date the Administrator transmits a 
report under subsection (e)(1)(A)’’ and inserting 
‘‘beginning 18 months after the Administrator 
makes such determination’’. 
SEC. 704. PROJECT AND PROGRAM RESERVES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the judicious use of program and project re-
serves provides the Administration’s project and program 
managers with the flexibility needed to manage projects 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00089
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
HR 4412 RFS2
and programs to ensure that the impacts of contingencies 
can be mitigated. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of enactment 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 
describing— 
(1) the Administration’s criteria for establishing 
the amount of reserves held at the project and pro-
gram levels; 
(2) how such criteria relate to the agency’s pol-
icy of budgeting at a 70-percent confidence level; 
and 
(3) the Administration’s criteria for waiving the 
policy of budgeting at a 70-percent confidence level 
and alternative strategies and mechanisms aimed at 
controlling program and project costs when a waiver 
is granted. 
SEC. 705. INDEPENDENT REVIEWS. 
Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
02:47 Jun 24, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00090
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H4412.RFS2
H4412
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS