[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4451. Mr. HEINRICH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       After section 216, insert the following:

     SEC. 216A. HIGH ENERGY LASER SYSTEMS TEST FACILITY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) 
     was chartered to be the primary test and evaluation facility 
     for high energy laser systems throughout the Department of 
     Defense and the Armed Forces, thus ensuring efficient, 
     effective, and more affordable testing and evaluation of high 
     energy lasers for the United States.
       (2) Research, development, test, and evaluation on high 
     energy lasers is critical to achieving the Third Offset 
     Strategy of the Department, and workloads related to laser 
     testing are increasing.
       (3) Due to insufficient funding, the High Energy Laser 
     Systems Test Facility is unable to accommodate the test and 
     evaluation demanded of it by the Armed Forces.
       (b) Independent Evaluation.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall enter into 
     an agreement with an independent entity to conduct an 
     evaluation and assessment of options to provide financial 
     resources for the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility in 
     accordance with the recommendations in the 2009 report of the 
     Test Resource Management Center and High Energy Laser Joint 
     Program Office entitled ``Impact Report to Congress on High 
     Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) and Plan for Test 
     and Evaluation of High Energy Laser Systems'', and other 
     relevant reports, including--
       (A) the transfer of management of the Facility to the Joint 
     Directed Energy Program Office (JDEPO), as redesignated by 
     section 216(b); and
       (B) modifications of funding for the Joint Directed Energy 
     Program Office in order to provide adequate financial 
     resources for the Facility.
       (2) Report.--Under the agreement entered into pursuant to 
     paragraph (1), the entity conducting the evaluation and 
     assessment required pursuant to that paragraph shall, by not 
     later than January 31, 2017, submit to the Secretary, and to 
     the congressional defense committees, a report setting forth 
     the results of the evaluation and assessment, including such 
     recommendations for legislative and administrative action 
     with respect to the financial resources and organization of 
     the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility as the entity 
     considers appropriate.
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