[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 125 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3493-S3494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1005. Mr. PADILLA submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 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 A of title XV, add the following:

     SEC. 1510. PILOT PROGRAM ON DEVELOPMENT OF REENTRY VEHICLES 
                   AND RELATED SYSTEMS.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of the Air Force may carry 
     out a pilot program, to be known as the ``Reentry Vehicle 
     Flight Test Bed Program'', to assess the feasibility of 
     providing regular flight test opportunities that support the 
     development of reentry vehicles--
       (1) to facilitate technology upgrades tested in a realistic 
     flight environment;
       (2) to provide an enduring, high-cadence test bed to mature 
     technologies for planned reentry vehicles; and
       (3) to transition technologies developed under other 
     programs, prototype projects, or research and development 
     programs related to long-range ballistic missiles.
       (b) Grants, Contracts, and Other Agreements.--

[[Page S3494]]

       (1) Authority.--In carrying out a pilot program under this 
     section, the Secretary may make grants and enter into 
     contracts or other agreements with appropriate entities for 
     the conduct of relevant flight tests of reentry vehicles and 
     systems.
       (2) Use of funds.--An entity that receives a grant, or 
     enters into a contract or other agreement, as part of a pilot 
     program carried out under this section shall use the grant, 
     or any amount received under the contract or other agreement, 
     to carry out one or more of the following activities:
       (A) Conducting flight tests to develop or validate--
       (i) aeroshell design;
       (ii) thermal protective systems;
       (iii) guidance and control systems;
       (iv) sensors;
       (v) communications;
       (vi) environmental sensors; or
       (vii) other relevant technologies.
       (B) Expanding flight test opportunities through low-cost, 
     high cadence platforms.
       (c) Coordination.--If the Secretary of the Air Force 
     carries out a pilot program under this section, the Secretary 
     shall ensure that the activities under the pilot program are 
     carried out in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and 
     the Secretary of the Navy.
       (d) Termination.--The authority to carry out a pilot 
     program under this section shall terminate on December 31, 
     2029.
                                 ______