Date: 2015-05-20
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak on the rule for H.R. 2262. the SPACE Act of 2015. Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution states that "The Congress shall have Power to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts. by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries It does not say that the Congress shall have the right to ignore. The United States space program has existed for over half a century and my commitment to providing NASA with the resources to carry the agency forward with its ambitious agenda of research. exploration. and discovery is unwavering. NASA continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. keeping our Nation on the forefront of innovation and exploration. It is the responsibility of this Congress to ensure that the future of space exploration remains a part of our national destiny. It inspires our children to look to the stars and dream of what they too. one day. may achieve. The Jackson Lee Amendments made in order by the Rules Committee are intended to improve the Space Act. My amendments are simple and will improve the bill. 1. Jackson Lee Amendments to H.R. 2262 This Jackson Lee Amendment Number 8. would facilitate the participation of HBCU. Hispanic Serving Institutions. National Indian institutions. in fellowships. workstudy and employment opportunities in the emerging commercial space industry. My amendment would increase awareness among underrepresented groups in STEM employment and education opportunities in the commercial space industry. One of the most enduring difficulties faced by underrepresented populations in the STEM field is a lack of awareness and understanding of the connection between STEM and employment opportunities. In 2012. a survey found that despite the nations growing demand for more workers in science. technology. engineering. and math. the skills gap among the largest ethnic and racial minorities groups remains stubbornly wide. Blacks and Latinos account for only 7 percent. of the STEM workforce despite representing 28 percent of the U.S. population. 2. Jackson Lee Amendment on Minority and Women Owned Businesses The Jackson Lee Amendment requires that provisions of the bill that address future legislation also lay the foundation for the commercial space industry include work on how to effectively conduct outreach to small business concerns owned and controlled by women and minorities. I have worked hard to help small business owners to fully realize their potential. That is why I support entrepreneurial development programs. including the Small Business Development Center and Womens Business Center programs. These initiatives provide counseling in a variety of critical areas. including business plan development. finance. and marketing. Outreach is key to developing healthy and diverse small businesses. There are approximately 6 million minority owned businesses in the United States. representing a significant aspect of our economy. According to the most recent available Census data. minority owned businesses employ nearly 6 million Americans and generate $1 trillion dollars in economic output. Women owned businesses have increased 20% between 2002 and 2007. and currently total close to 8 million. My home city of Houston. Texas. the home of the Johnson Space Center. is also home to more than 60.000 women owned businesses. and more than 60.000 African American owned businesses. Final Jackson Lee Amendment Seeks Funding To Continue Space Exploration R&D The taxpayer has invested in space exploration for decades. This investment is reaping benefits for the commercial space industry today. 3. The Jackson Lee Amendment not included in the Rule would have provided revenue for research and development work to continue on challenges that hinder manned and unmanned space flight. Many of the startup companies entering the space industry have few resources to dedicate to basic research. There are still critical areas of research that must be done to make space flight as safe as commercial transportation systems are today. Although commercial transportation is not 100 percent without risk. it is much safer than it would have been without dedicated and focused basic and applied research to address safety issues. While the government supports the aspirations of companies large and small to become part of the commercial space industry. it should still be the responsibility of NASA to pursue research that can save lives and improve space travel. If the future we envision is one where thousands of businesses will benefit from commercial and government space exploration and investment efforts then investing today in tomorrows economy makes good sense. Although I believe the Jackson Lee Amendments will improve the Bill. there exist troubling aspects of the bill: First. it is regrettable that the SPACE Act will restrict the "learning period" of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation of spacecraft. This learning period should be extended for a shorter period than the tenyear extension through 2025 included in the bill. Second. a voluntary industry consensus standard would provide a strategy that improves the overall safety of the industry as opposed to performancebased regulations. Finally. I have concerns about the ability of U.S. companies to move forward with innovative space initiatives without authority to ensure continuing supervision of these initiatives as delineated in the Outer Space Treaty. Thus. I hope we can all work together in addressing these troubling aspects of the bill. I ask my colleagues to vote for the Jackson Lee Amendments. The material previously referred to by Mr. HASTINGS is as follows: