[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 146 (Monday, September 11, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S5135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 880. Mr. TILLIS (for himself and Mr. Nelson) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2810, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 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:

       At the end of subtitle C of title I, add the following:

     SEC. ___. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR THE 
                   ENHANCED MULTI MISSION PARACHUTE SYSTEM.

       (a) Limitation.--None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for the 
     Department of Defense for fiscal year 2018 for the Enhanced 
     Multi Mission Parachute System may be used to enter into or 
     prepare to enter into a contract for the procurement of the 
     Enhanced Multi Mission Parachute System unless the Secretary 
     of the Navy submits to the congressional defense committees 
     the certification described in subsection (b) and the report 
     described in subsection (c).
       (b) Certification.--The certification referred to in 
     subsection (a) is a certification by the Secretary of the 
     Navy that--
       (1) neither the Marine Corps' currently fielded multi 
     mission parachute system nor the Army's RA-1 parachute system 
     meet the Marine Corps requirements;
       (2) that the Marine Corps' PARIS, Special Application 
     Parachute does not meet the Marine Corps requirement;
       (3) the testing plan for the enhanced multi mission 
     parachute system meets all regulatory requirements; and
       (4) the Department of the Navy has determined that a high 
     glide canopy is as safe and effective as the currently 
     fielded free fall parachute systems.
       (c) Report.--The report referred to in subsection (a) is a 
     report that includes--
       (1) an explanation for using the Parachute Industry 
     Association specification for a military parachute given that 
     sports parachutes are employed from relatively slow flying 
     civilian aircraft at altitudes below 10,000 feet;
       (2) a cost estimate for any new equipment and training that 
     the Marine Corps will require in order to employ a high glide 
     parachute;
       (3) justification of why the Department of the Navy is not 
     conducting any testing until first article testing; and
       (4) an assessment of the risks associated with high glide 
     canopies with a focus on how the Department of the Navy will 
     mitigate the risk for malfunctions experienced in other high 
     glide canopy programs.
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