[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 106 (Monday, June 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4464-S4465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 849. Mrs. MURRAY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her 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:
Strike section 1616 and insert the following:
SEC. 1616. REQUIREMENTS FOR PHASE 2 OF ACQUISITION STRATEGY
FOR NATIONAL SECURITY SPACE LAUNCH PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--In carrying out phase 2 of the acquisition
strategy for the National Security Space Launch program, the
Secretary of the Air Force--
(1) may not--
(A) modify the acquisition schedule or mission performance
requirements; or
(B) award missions to more than two launch service
providers; and
(2) shall ensure that launch services are procured only
from launch service providers that use launch vehicles
meeting each Government requirement with respect to required
payloads to reference orbits.
[[Page S4465]]
(b) Report and Briefing.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the phase 2 award is announced, and annually thereafter
for the duration of phase 2, the Secretary shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress a report and briefing
that includes--
(A) an analysis of the commercial market for space launch,
including whether commercial launch providers are able to
meet the required reference orbits and all other requirements
of the National Security Space Launch program;
(B) a description of the total costs of launches procured
under phase 2, including launch service support;
(C) a plan to increase competition in the National Security
Space Launch program to more than two launch service
providers; and
(D) a plan to ensure full and equitable use of unused
launch sites or potential new launch sites, including an
analysis of alternatives for viable access for small or
medium commercial launch providers.
(2) Comptroller general review.--Not later than 90 days
after the date on which the Secretary submits a report under
paragraph (1) the Comptroller General of the United States
shall--
(A) review the report; and
(B) submit to Congress--
(i) findings with respect to the accuracy and adequacy of
the report; and
(ii) recommendations to improve the administration of the
National Security Space Launch program, including sustained
competition for launch service procurement.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Appropriations, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of
the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
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