[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LEGISLATION TO CODIFY TITLE 51, U.S. CODE--NATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL 
                             SPACE PROGRAMS

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2009

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, Ranking Member Lamar Smith and I are 
introducing a bill to codify into positive law as title 51, United 
States Code, certain general and permanent laws related to national and 
commercial space programs. This bill was prepared by the Office of the 
Law Revision Counsel, as part of its ongoing responsibility under 2 
U.S.C. 285b to prepare, and submit to the Committee on the Judiciary 
one title at a time, a complete compilation, restatement, and revision 
of the general and permanent laws of the United States.
  The new positive law title replaces the existing provisions, which 
are repealed by the bill. The bill is not intended to make any 
substantive changes in the law. As is typical with the codification 
process, a number of non-substantive revisions are made, including the 
reorganization of sections into a more coherent overall structure, but 
these changes are not intended to have any substantive effect.
  This bill is substantially identical to H.R. 4780, which Lamar Smith 
and I introduced in the last Congress, on December 18, 2007, with a few 
revisions to respond to comments received. As there has already been 
significant opportunity for public review and comment, the Committee 
intends to move expeditiously to consider the bill after the House 
returns from its August recess.
  The bill, along with a detailed section-by-section explanation of the 
bill, can be found on the Law Revision Counsel website at http://
uscode.house.gov/cod. Interested parties are invited to submit comments 
to Rob Sukol, Assistant Counsel, Office of the Law Revision Counsel, 
U.S. House of Representatives, H2-304 Ford House Office Building, 
Washington, DC, 20515-6711, (202) 226-2411, as well as to the 
Committee.

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