[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 127 (Friday, October 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H9020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXTENDING LIABILITY INDEMNIFICATION REGIME FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE 
                        TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Science be discharged from further consideration of the 
bill (H.R. 5245) to extend the liability indemnification regime for the 
commercial space transportation industry, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the bill, as follows:

                               H.R. 5245

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

     SECTION 1. INDEMNIFICATION EXTENSION.

       Section 70113(f) of title 49, United States Code, is 
     amended by striking ``December 31, 2004.'' and inserting 
     ``December 31, 2009.''.

     SEC. 2. STUDY.

       Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall enter into an 
     arrangement with a nonprofit entity for the conduct of an 
     independent comprehensive study of the liability risk sharing 
     regime in the United States for commercial space 
     transportation under section 70113 of title 49, United States 
     Code. To ensure that Congress has a full analysis of the 
     liability risk sharing regime, the study shall assess methods 
     by which the current system could be eliminated, including an 
     estimate of the time required to implement each of the 
     methods assessed. The study shall assess whether any 
     alternative steps would be needed to maintain a viable and 
     competitive United States space transportation industry if 
     the current regime were eliminated. In conducting the 
     assessment under this section, input from commercial space 
     transportation insurance experts shall be sought. The study 
     also shall examine liability risk sharing in other nations 
     with commercial launch capability and evaluate the direct and 
     indirect impact that ending this regime would have on the 
     competitiveness of the United States commercial space launch 
     industry in relation to foreign commercial launch providers 
     and on United States assured access to space.

  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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