[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6208 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6208

  To direct the President to develop a strategy to protect the space 
          assets of the United States, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 11, 2020

   Mr. Kinzinger (for himself, Ms. Cheney, Mr. Turner, Mr. Rogers of 
  Alabama, Mr. Crow, and Mrs. Bustos) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
   and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Foreign 
Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the President to develop a strategy to protect the space 
          assets of the United States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting American Space Assets 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Space is essential to--
                    (A) the military and intelligence operations, 
                strategic deterrence, threat detection, and 
                communications of the United States; and
                    (B) effectively facilitate communication between 
                global economic markets.
            (2) The People's Republic of China has undercut space 
        manufacturing programs run by the United States, including 
        satellite manufacturing and launch service programs, through 
        noncompetitive price manipulation.
            (3) China and the Russia Federation have worked to develop 
        counterspace weapons and electronic warfare capabilities 
        (including electromagnetic, antisatellite, and kinetic weapons) 
        that have the ability to target space assets that belong to the 
        United States.
            (4) China and Russia have and continue to engage in cyber 
        attacks against critical infrastructure of the United States 
        and of allies of the United States.
            (5) Each year, actions taken by China have exponentially 
        increased the risk of damage to space assets that belong to the 
        United States and allies of the United States by significantly 
        increasing the amount of major debris in the orbit paths of 
        such assets.
            (6) China has demonstrated the intent to keep developing 
        counterspace weapons that target space assets that belong to 
        the United States and allies of the United States.
            (7) China views space as central to the security and 
        economic industries of China in the future.
            (8) China is striving to dominate economic industries that 
        deal with space through research and development aimed at 
        increasing manufacturing, extracting resources, and increasing 
        its leverage with respect to countries that strive to develop 
        space technology.
            (9) China is expanding its foreign network and expanding 
        its presence in space by developing ground station capabilities 
        in foreign nations and promoting participation by such nations 
        in the satellite navigation system administered by China.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Government should support 
activities in space by--
            (1) modernizing the capabilities of the United States and 
        allies of the United States with respect to space;
            (2) providing protection for space assets, including the 
        supply chain related to such assets and manufacturing process 
        of such assets; and
            (3) affirming the duties of the United States Space Force 
        under section 9081 of title 10, United States Code.

SEC. 4. SPACE STRATEGIES AND ASSESSMENT.

    (a) Executive Strategy.--
            (1) Strategy requirement.--Not later than 270 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, in 
        consultation with the National Space Council, shall develop and 
        maintain a strategy to ensure that the United States 
        strengthens military and commercial capabilities in space, 
        increases protections for military and commercial operations 
        with respect to space, and increases protections for space 
        manufacturing programs and launch sites, including military 
        launch sites and launch sites operated by individuals or 
        entities in the private sector.
            (2) Inclusion in the national defense strategy.--The 
        Secretary of Defense shall include the strategy most recently 
        developed pursuant to paragraph (1) in the national defense 
        strategy required under section 113(g) of title 10, United 
        States Code.
    (b) Space Strategy and Report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report setting forth a strategy 
to--
            (1) protect the space assets of the United States, 
        including the supply chain related to such assets and 
        manufacturing process of such assets, from threats from the 
        People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation, which 
        may include protection from intellectual property theft and 
        threats with respect to electronic warfare capabilities; and
            (2) strengthen relations with the allies of the United 
        States with respect to space.
    (c) Assessment and Report.--
            (1) Assessment and report requirement.--Not later than 180 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
        of Defense, in consultation with the Director of National 
        Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a report that includes--
                    (A) an assessment of the capabilities of the 
                Department of Defense to protect--
                            (i) commercial communication and navigation 
                        systems in space;
                            (ii) military launch sites; and
                            (iii) launch sites operated by individuals 
                        or entities in the private sector; and
                    (B) recommendations to improve the capabilities 
                assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A), including 
                recommendations with respect to--
                            (i) the electronic warfare capabilities of 
                        China and Russia; and
                            (ii) the use of counterspace weapons and 
                        cyber attacks by China and Russia.
            (2) Form.--The report under paragraph (1) may be submitted 
        in classified form. If submitted in such form, the report shall 
        include an unclassified summary.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives;
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives;
                    (D) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
                of the House of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
                    (F) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (G) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate; and
                    (H) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
                Senate.
            (2) Launch site.--The term ``launch site'' has the meaning 
        given that term under section 50902 of title 51, United States 
        Code.
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