,,ii #aahth ,,congress #bnd ,session ,s4 #ciff ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ai1 #bjbd,mr4 ,cornyn 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,lujn1 ,mr4 ,kelly1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,ms4 ,sinema1 and ,mr4 ,scott of ,florida7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to streamline the application of regulations relating to commercial space launch and reentry requirements and licensing of private remote sensing space systems1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,licensing ,aerospace ,units to ,new ,commercial ,heights ,act of #bjbd or the ,,launch ,act4 #b4 ,streamlining regulations relating to commercial space launch and reentry requirements 7a7 ,evaluation of implementation of part #dej 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,transportation 7referred to in this ,act as the ,secretary7 shall evaluate the implementation of part #dej of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7in this section referred to as part #dej7 and the impacts of part #dej on the commercial spaceflight industry4 7#b7 ,elements ,the evaluation required by paragraph 7#a7 shall include an assessment of-- 7,a7 whether increased uncertainty in the commercial spaceflight industry has resulted from the implementation of part #dej2 7,b7 whether part #dej has resulted in operational delays to emerging launch programs2 and 7,c7 whether timelines for reviews have changed1 including an assessment of the impact of the incremental review process on those timelines and the root cause for multiple reviews1 if applicable4 7#c7 ,report required ,not later than #ij days after completing the review required by paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives a report that includes-- 7,a7 the findings of the review2 7,b7 recommendations for reducing delays and inefficiencies resulting from part #dej that do not rely solely on additional personnel or funding2 and 7,c7 an estimate for a timeline and funding for implementing the recommendations described in subparagraph 7,b74 7b7 ,rulemaking committee 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall consider establishing a ,space ,transportation ,rulemaking ,committee1 comprised of established and emerging ,united ,states commercial space launch and reentry services providers 7including providers that hold1 and providers that have applied for but not yet received1 licenses issued under chapter #eji of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code7-- 7,a7 to facilitate industry participation in developing recommendations for amendments to part #dej to address the challenges identified in conducting the review required by subsection 7a7 or under paragraph 7#b7 of section #ejije7;d7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code 7as added by subsection 7d77#c772 and 7,b7 to provide a long-term forum for the ,united ,states commercial spaceflight industry to share perspectives relating to regulations affecting the industry4 7#b7 ,prevention of duplicative efforts ,the ,secretary shall ensure that a ,space ,transportation ,rulemaking ,committee established under this subsection does not provide services or make efforts that are duplicative of the services provided and efforts made by the ,commercial ,space ,transportation ,advisory ,committee4 7c7 ,encouragement of innovation ,the ,secretary shall1 on an ongoing basis1 determine whether any requirements for a license issued under chapter #eji of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 can be modified or eliminated to encourage innovative new technologies and operations4 7d7 ,modifications to requirements and procedures for license applications 7#a7 ,consideration of safety rationales of license applicants ,section #ejije7;a77#b7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 by striking ,secretary may inserting the following3 8,secretary-- 7,a7 may 2 7,b7 by striking the period at the end and inserting 2 and2 and 7,c7 by adding at the end the following3 7,b7 shall accept a reasonable safety rationale proposed by an applicant for a license under this chapter1 including new approaches1 consistent with paragraph 7#a74 4 7#b7 ,facilitation of license applications and assistance to applicants ,section #ejije7;a7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 ,in carrying out paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall assign a licensing team lead to each applicant for a license under this chapter to assist the applicant in streamlining the process for reviewing and approving the license application4 4 7#c7 ,streamlining of review processes ,section #ejije7;d7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking the end period and inserting the following3 81 including by-- 7#a7 adjudicating determinations with respect to such applications and revisions to such determinations in a timely manner as part of the incremental review process under section #dej4cc of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7or a successor regulation72 and 7#b7 eliminating and streamlining duplicative review processes with other agencies1 particularly relating to the use of ,federal ranges or requirements to use the assets of ,federal ranges4 4 #c4 ,streamlining licensing of private remote sensing space systems 7a7 ,clarification of remote sensing regulatory authority over certain imaging systems ,section #fjaba7;a77#b7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,instruments used primarily for mission assurance or other technical purposes shall not be considered to be conducting remote sensing4 ,instruments used primarily for mission assurance or other technical purposes are instruments used to support the health of the launch vehicle or spacecraft of the operator or the safety of the space operations of the operator1 including instruments used to support on-board self-monitoring for technical assurance1 flight reliability1 spaceflight safety1 navigation1 attitude control1 separation events1 payload deployments1 or instruments collecting self-images44 7b7 ,facilitation of license applications and assistance to applicants 7#a7 ,in general ,section #fjaba of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7,a7 by redesignating subsections 7d7 and 7e7 as subsections 7e7 and 7f71 respectively2 and 7,b7 by inserting after subsection 7c7 the following3 7d7 ,assignment of dedicated licensing officer ,the ,secretary shall assign a licensing officer to oversee the application of the applicant for a license under subsection 7a74 ,the licensing officer shall assist the applicant by facilitating the application process1 minimizing license conditions1 and expediting the review and approval of the application1 to the extent authorized by law4 4 7#b7 ,conforming amendment ,section #fjabb7;b77#c7 of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking section #fjaba7;e7 and inserting section #fjaba7;f74 7c7 ,transparency and expeditious review of licenses ,in carrying out the authorities under subchapter ,,iii of chapter #fja of title #ea1 ,united ,states ,code1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 provide transparency to and engagement with applicants throughout the licensing process1 including by stating with specificity to the applicant or licensee what basis caused the tiering determination of the license2 7#b7 minimize the timelines for review of commercial remote sensing licensing applications2 and 7#c7 not less frequently than annually1 reevaluate the criteria for the tiering of satellite systems1 with a goal of expeditiously recategorizing ,tier #c systems to a lower tier without temporary license conditions4 #d4 ,,gao report 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives a report on the policies1 regulations1 and practices of the ,department of ,commerce 7referred to in this section as the ,department7 with respect to the private remote sensing space industry4 7b7 ,elements ,the report required by subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,an assessment of the extent to which such licensing policies1 regulations1 and practices of the ,department promote or inhibit a robust domestic private remote sensing industry1 including any restrictions that impede innovative remote sensing capabilities4 7#b7 ,recommendations on changes to policies1 regulations1 and practices for consideration by the ,secretary of ,commerce to promote ,united ,states industry leadership in private remote sensing capabilities1 including recommendations for-- 7,a7 determining whether the costs to industry outweigh the benefits of conducting on-site ground station visits1 and possible alternatives to ensuring compliance2 7,b7 assessing the information in a license application that should be treated as a material fact and the justification for such treatment2 7,c7 incorporating industry feedback into ,department policies1 regulations1 and practices2 and 7,d7 increasing ,department transparency by-- 7i7 ensuring the wide dissemination of ,department guidance2 7ii7 providing clear application instructions2 and 7iii7 establishing written precedent of ,department actions4