[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 145 (Tuesday, October 13, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            SAVE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ACT OF 1998

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                    HON. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR.

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 13, 1998

  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing H.R. 4820, the 
Save the International Space Station Act of 1998. This is a 
straightforward bill that contains several provisions that will restore 
accountability to the program while preserving our commitment to our 
international partners in the Space Station program. More importantly, 
it lays the groundwork to help prevent future cost growth and schedule 
delays by putting NASA on a track to solve systemic problems. The bill 
should be non-controversial. Most members have seen these provisions 
before. This legislation was drafted around the bipartisan 
Sensenbrenner-Brown amendment to the Civilian Space Authorization Act 
for fiscal year 1998 and 1999, which the Committee on Science adopted 
and the House of Representatives passed last year.
  Basically, the bill precludes additional payments to the Russian 
Space Agency to meet its existing obligations unless Congress concurs 
that additional payments serve the taxpayer's interest. It requires the 
Administration to develop a contingency plan and report that plan to 
Congress for removing each element of the Russian contribution from the 
critical path for assembling the International Space Station. It does 
contain two new provisions from the Senate, which were worked out on a 
bipartisan basis. The first of these new provisions is a total cost cap 
on the program. The International Space Station has never had a 
legislatively imposed cap on the total cost of the program before. The 
Senate has made such a cap a priority and the bill contains a measure 
worked out between the Senate and the Administration. The second new 
provision concerns cross-waiver authority under which NASA will 
negotiate agreements with other Station partners to reduce our 
liability to one another in the event of problems with the Space 
Station. Ultimately, this measure must be passed for the Space Station 
to be assembled and operated in space.
  By passing this bill sooner rather than later, Congress can do its 
part to contain future cost growth and put this program back on track 
towards developing and operating a world-class scientific laboratory in 
space.

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