[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 603. Mr. CRUZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2020 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 B of title XVI, add the following:

     SEC. ___. LEVERAGING COMMERCIAL SATELLITE REMOTE SENSING.

       (a) In General.--In acquiring geospatial-intelligence, the 
     Secretary of Defense, acting through the Director of the 
     National Reconnaissance Office and in coordination with the 
     Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, 
     shall--
       (1) consider the needs of the National Reconnaissance 
     Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the 
     Department of Defense geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) user 
     community, including the combatant commanders; and
       (2) leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, the 
     capabilities of United States industry, including through the 
     use of commercial geospatial-intelligence services and 
     acquisition of commercial satellite imagery.
       (b) Obtaining Future Data.--The Secretary, as early as 
     possible in the acquisition process for any future Department 
     of Defense space system for geospatial-intelligence, shall--
       (1) consider whether there is a suitable, cost-effective, 
     commercial capability available, or that will be available by 
     the planned operational date of the system, to meet any or 
     all of the system requirements;
       (2) if a suitable, cost-effective, commercial capability is 
     or will be available as described in paragraph (1), determine 
     whether it is in the national interest to develop a 
     governmental space system; and
       (3) submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report detailing any determination made under paragraphs (1) 
     and (2).
       (c) Definition of Appropriate Committees of Congress.--In 
     this section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) Committee on Armed Services and the Select Committee on 
     Intelligence of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Permanent 
     Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives.
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