[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4905 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4905
To authorize the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration to conduct a pilot program for investment in
infrastructure projects at NASA Centers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 24, 2026
Mrs. Moody introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration to conduct a pilot program for investment in
infrastructure projects at NASA Centers.
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 ``Space Ready 2.0 Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(3) Common use infrastructure.--The term ``common use
infrastructure''--
(A) means any infrastructure that benefits 1 or
more NASA Center users;
(B) includes roadways and commodities pipelines and
portions of roadways and commodities pipelines; and
(C) does not include any infrastructure that solely
benefits the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(4) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
(5) Project.--The term ``project'' means any work performed
in support of a common activity or infrastructure effort under
1 or more common use infrastructure agreements entered into
pursuant to this Act, regardless of whether such work is
conducted pursuant to a single agreement or multiple separate
agreements with different commercial entities.
SEC. 3. PILOT PROGRAM FOR INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS AT NASA CENTERS.
(a) Pilot Program.--The Administrator may conduct a pilot program
for private and public investment in specific infrastructure projects
at 1 or more NASA Centers.
(b) Agreements in Support of Common Use Infrastructure Projects.--
(1) Funding.--
(A) Voluntary infrastructure contributions.--The
Administrator may enter into agreements under section
20113(e) of title 51, United States Code, involving
transactions that support public and commercial
activities at 1 or more NASA Centers, and such
agreements may include the authority to collect
voluntary infrastructure contributions to fund specific
capital repair, maintenance, and improvement projects
described in paragraph (2).
(B) Transparency.--
(i) Cost and schedule estimates.--In any
agreement that includes the means for voluntary
contributions described in this section, the
Administrator shall establish a reasonable cost
and schedule baseline for each project.
(ii) Project completion.--At the conclusion
of each designated project, the Administrator
shall provide each contributing commercial
entity with a final project cost, including a
breakdown of cost sharing between government
and commercial entities.
(C) Project costs and timelines.--The Administrator
shall--
(i) to the maximum extent practicable,
ensure that the projects described in this
section are completed within the cost estimates
and timelines established under subparagraph
(B)(i); and
(ii) exercise streamlined acquisition
procedures to the maximum extent allowed by
law.
(D) Cost-sharing.--The Administrator shall ensure
that any agreement entered into with a commercial
entity under subparagraph (A) provides that, at the
conclusion of the project, any funds contributed by the
commercial entity that remain unexpended shall be
returned to such entity in proportion to the amount
originally contributed by the partner.
(E) Nonconditioning of agreements.--The
Administrator shall not withhold execution of any
agreement under section 20113(e) of title 51, United
States Code, or deny a lease or other authorization for
commercial activities on the basis of a failure to
reach agreement on the amount or terms of contributions
described in this section.
(F) Requirements with respect to agreements.--Each
agreement entered into with a commercial entity under
subparagraph (A) shall, on a case-by-case basis--
(i) address the terms of use, ownership,
and disposition of the funds, services, or
equipment contributed pursuant to the
agreement;
(ii) include a provision that the
commercial entity will not recover the costs of
its contribution through any other agreement
with the United States; and
(iii) include a provision that mutually
determines which entity covers costs in the
event of cost overruns or project delays.
(G) Construction and environmental compliance and
restoration (cecr) funds.--
(i) In general.--Subject to the
availability of appropriations, the
Administrator is authorized to use amounts
otherwise made available within the
Construction and Environmental Compliance and
Restoration account to fulfill the obligations
entered into by the Administrator under
agreements pursuant to this section.
(ii) Receipt of funds.--Amounts received by
the Administrator pursuant to agreements
entered into under subparagraph (A) shall be
credited to and merged with the Construction
and Environmental Compliance and Restoration
account and shall be available subject to the
same terms and conditions as amounts
appropriated to that account.
(H) Contributions from other entities.--The
Administrator may enter into agreements for voluntary
contributions from other entities, including Federal,
State, or local authorities, for the purpose of funding
projects.
(I) Direct agreements.--
(i) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this
subtitle may be construed to restrict the
Administrator from entering into direct
agreements under section 20113(e) of title 51,
United States Code, with entities to perform
work within a NASA Center separate from the
activities funded through projects.
(ii) Prioritization.--The Administrator
shall prioritize such direct agreements in
instances in which required work would be
completed more expeditiously or at a lower cost
than through the pilot program described in
this section.
(iii) Direct contributions.--The
Administrator may make direct financial or in-
kind contributions to projects undertaken by
commercial entities under agreements entered
into under clause (i), as the Administrator
considers appropriate to support common use
infrastructure at a NASA Center.
(2) Use of funds.--
(A) In general.--Contributions proffered by
entities under agreements in support of projects shall
be used by the Administrator to conduct capital
repairs, maintenance, and improvements to NASA-owned
infrastructure at a NASA Center, as the Administrator
considers necessary to support activities conducted
under agreements entered into under section 20113(e) of
title 51, United States Code, which may include
renovation, rehabilitation, sustainment, demolition,
construction, operation, maintenance, repair,
enhancement, expansion, and modernization of NASA-owned
infrastructure at a NASA Center.
(B) Consultation.--The Administrator shall consult
and partner with other Federal, State, and local public
entities--
(i) to ensure that such projects are not
duplicative; and
(ii) to identify opportunities for projects
to provide increased capability or capacity to
users.
(C) Treatment of improvements.--Improvements made
to NASA-owned infrastructure at a NASA Center with
amounts made available under a voluntary agreements
under this section shall be property of the United
States, unless the Administrator determines that
transferring ownership of such improvements would be in
the best interests of the United States.
(D) Unexpended contributions.--For any voluntary
contributions from a commercial entity designated to a
specific project that are not fully expended on that
project within 90 days of the project becoming
operational, the Administrator shall, at the election
of the contributing commercial entity--
(i) refund the unexpended portion to the
entity; or
(ii) allow the commercial entity to
redesignate the funds to another eligible
project under this subsection.
(3) Annual report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives
a report on projects conducted under this section that includes
the following:
(A) For the preceding calendar year, the total
amount of expenditures on projects by NASA and
industry.
(B) The proposed uses of amounts contributed by
NASA and industry for the operating plans of the
Administration.
(C) Additional recommendations for efforts to
streamline or reduce costs for each agreed upon project
described in this section.
(4) Updates.--Not less frequently than every 2 years, the
Administrator, in collaboration with commercial entities, shall
submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives interim
milestone updates relating to the pilot program under this
section.
(5) Termination.--
(A) In general.--The authority to collect voluntary
contributions under paragraph (1)(A) shall terminate on
December 31, 2031.
(B) Rule of construction.--The termination under
subparagraph (A) of the authority to collect voluntary
contributions may not be construed to otherwise affect
the validity or terms of agreements under section
20113(e) of title 51, United States Code, or the
retention or use by the Administration of proceeds from
such agreements.
(6) Prohibition on new budget authority.--Nothing in this
subtitle may be construed to provide new budget authority to
incur obligations in advance of appropriations.
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