[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8331 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8331
To authorize the conveyance by the Secretary of the Navy to the U.S.
Space and Rocket Center Commission in Huntsville, Alabama, of certain
F-14D Tomcat aircraft, and for other purposes.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 16, 2026
Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona (for himself, Mr. Ciscomani, Mr. Strong, Mr.
Austin Scott of Georgia, Mr. McCormick, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, Mr.
Bergman, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, and Mr. Moylan)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Armed Services
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A BILL
To authorize the conveyance by the Secretary of the Navy to the U.S.
Space and Rocket Center Commission in Huntsville, Alabama, of certain
F-14D Tomcat aircraft, 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 ``Maverick Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. CONVEYANCE OF CERTAIN F-14D TOMCAT AIRCRAFT TO U.S. SPACE AND
ROCKET CENTER COMMISSION IN HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of the Navy may convey, without
consideration, to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Commission in
Huntsville, Alabama (in this section referred to as the
``Commission''), all right, title, and interest of the United States in
the following:
(1) F-14D Tomcat aircraft (Bureau Number 163283).
(2) F-14D Tomcat aircraft (Bureau Number 164602).
(3) F-14D Tomcat aircraft (Bureau Number 159437).
(b) Gift.--Any conveyance under subsection (a) shall be made by
means of a conditional deed of gift.
(c) Conveyance at No Cost to the United States.--Any conveyance
under subsection (a) shall be made at no cost to the United States. Any
costs associated with such conveyance, costs of determining compliance
with terms of the conveyance, and costs of operation and maintenance of
the aircraft conveyed shall be borne by the Commission.
(d) Condition of Aircraft to Be Conveyed.--
(1) As-is condition.--The Secretary may not be required to
repair or alter the condition of any aircraft prior to
conveying such aircraft under subsection (a).
(2) Manuals; certain spare parts and equipment.--If the
Secretary elects to convey to the Commission the aircraft under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall, prior to such conveyance,
provide to the Commission--
(A) any operations manuals of the Department of
Defense or the Navy specific to the F-14D Tomcat
aircraft; and
(B) such excess spare parts or equipment from
stocks of the Navy as the Secretary determines
necessary to restore such aircraft, or operate or
display such aircraft once restored, for a use
specified in subsection (e)(2).
(3) No obligation to provide other support.--The Secretary
may not be required to provide any spare part, equipment,
manual, or other form of support not specified in paragraph
(2)(B) as a result of or in connection with a conveyance
authorized under subsection (a).
(4) Agreements for restoration and operation.--The
Secretary may authorize the Commission to enter into one or
more agreements with a qualified nonprofit organization for the
purpose of restoring the aircraft conveyed under subsection (a)
for a use specified in subsection (e)(2).
(e) Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary shall require that any
conveyance of aircraft under subsection (a) be carried out by means of
an instrument of conveyance that includes, at a minimum, the following:
(1) A condition that such aircraft do not possess any
capability for use as a platform for launching or releasing
munitions or any other combat capability, as determined by the
Secretary.
(2) A condition that the Commission may only use such
aircraft for display or operation in a public static display,
an airshow, or a commemorative event to preserve United States
naval aviation heritage.
(3) A condition that the Commission shall operate and
maintain such aircraft in compliance with all applicable
limitations and maintenance requirements imposed by the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration.
(4) A condition that, if the Secretary determines at any
time that the Commission has conveyed an ownership interest in,
or transferred possession of, such aircraft to any party
without the prior approval of the Secretary or has violated a
condition specified in paragraph (2) or (3), all right, title,
and interest in and to the aircraft, including any repair or
alteration of the aircraft, shall revert to the United States,
and the United States shall have the right of immediate
possession of the aircraft.
(5) Such other terms and conditions as the Secretary
considers appropriate to protect the interests of the United
States, which may include requirements for demilitarization and
indemnification and may restrict further disposition or use.
(f) Clarification of Liability.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, upon the conveyance to the Commission of interests in
the aircraft under subsection (a), the United States may not be liable
for any death, injury, loss, or damage that results from any use of
such aircraft by any person other than the United States.
(g) Applicable Law.--The conveyance of an aircraft under subsection
(a), and the use of such aircraft following such conveyance, shall be
subject to all applicable Federal and State laws and regulations,
including the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), the
Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4801 et seq.), chapter 37
of title 18, United States Code (commonly referred to as the
``Espionage Act''), the regulations set forth in subchapter M of
chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations (commonly referred
to as the ``International Traffic in Arms Regulations''), subchapter C
of chapter VII of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations (commonly
referred to as the ``Export Administration Regulations''), and chapter
V of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations (commonly referred to as the
``Foreign Assets Control Regulations'').
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