[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1202-H1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMERCIAL REMOTE SENSING AMENDMENT ACT OF 2025
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1325) to provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote
sensing systems, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1325
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Commercial Remote Sensing
Amendment Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTS.
(a) Deadlines.--
(1) In general.--Section 60121(c) of title 51, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``120'' and inserting
``60''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 60126(a)(1)(E) of title
51, United States Code, is amended by striking ``120'' and
inserting ``60''.
(b) Notifications.--Section 60126(a)(2) of title 51, United
States Code, is amended by striking ``section 60122; and''
and inserting ``paragraphs (5) and (6) of section
60122(b);''.
(c) Conditions.--Section 60126(a) of title 51, United
States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new
paragraph:
``(3) all terms, conditions, or restrictions placed on
licensees pursuant to section 60122; and''.
(d) Tiers.--Section 60126(a)(1) of title 51, United States
Code, is amended--
[[Page H1203]]
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ``and'' at the end;
and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(F) a list of all applications submitted and licenses
granted in accordance therewith, listed by tier as defined in
regulation, as well as the rationale for each tier
categorization;''.
(e) Sunset.--Section 60126 of title 51, United States Code,
is amended by striking ``September 30, 2020'' and inserting
``September 30, 2030''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 1325, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1325, the Commercial Remote
Sensing Amendment Act of 2025.
This bill updates reporting requirements for NOAA's Office of
Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs, giving Congress the
ability to monitor how regulations are affecting the expansion and
development of the commercial and remote sensing industry.
Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images
of Earth and has become a crucial tool in fields like agriculture,
finance, trade, energy, and national security. Commercial remote
sensing also provides us with vital information for many important
applications. The technology behind it is constantly evolving, and the
industry is seeing tremendous growth.
To effectively support and manage remote sensing activities, it is
imperative that Congress receives timely and comprehensive reports in
order to evaluate the state of the industry and how regulations are
affecting this growth.
The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 established a
reporting requirement for the Department of Commerce on the status of
commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. That requirement
expired in 2020. H.R. 1325 will reinstate this reporting requirement
and keep Congress informed of agency actions, their impact on
licensees, and the state of the commercial remote sensing industry.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1325 is a no-nonsense, bipartisan bill that will
ensure the U.S. remains at the helm of this important field.
I thank the former chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee, Mr. Lucas, for introducing this bill and his leadership on
this important topic. This bill passed the House by a voice vote in the
last two Congresses, and I look forward to working with the Senate to
see it finally cross the finish line.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague and chair, Mr. Babin, and rise in
support of the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025, H.R.
1325. We are very pleased to see this legislation being reintroduced
this Congress, and certainly it is coming from the leadership of our
former chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Mr.
Frank Lucas, and our ranking member, Ms. Zoe Lofgren. It is another
bipartisan bill.
Commercial remote sensing is a vibrant and growing industry. Data and
imagery from commercial remote sensing satellites are used widely in
energy, agriculture, disaster monitoring, mapping, and national
security applications such as maritime surveillance.
Commercial space-based images provide vital scientific information on
the health of our Great Lakes informing policy in my beloved home State
of Michigan and across the basin. These images also provide visibility
and insight into life-threatening events, such as the before and after
observations of the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires in
southern California.
In 1992, Congress, led by the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee, authorized the Secretary of Commerce to license and regulate
private-sector parties to operate commercial remote sensing space
systems. Since that time, the commercial remote sensing industry has
changed quite dramatically.
Today, companies from across the world are launching commercial
remote sensing systems and selling the data. We must ensure that the
United States remains at the forefront of this industry, especially as
the Chinese Communist Party is advancing in the remote sensing sector.
As a 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International
Studies plainly put it: ``Should any one country dominate the
commercial remote sensing market, not only could it gain economic
advantages, but it would also control the information narrative about
the entire planet, from the environment to natural resources to human
conflict.''
So this bill provides Congress the transparency and insight we need
to oversee the licensing and regulation of private remote sensing
systems. It modifies the timeline for completing licenses to conform
with updated regulations. It also requires information to provide
Congress with details on licensing related to regulatory changes.
Further, it extends the requirement for an annual report on commercial
remote sensing licenses through 2030.
I am very enthusiastic about this important bipartisan commercial
space legislation. It is always a good day in the Chamber when Chair
Babin is talking about commercial space legislation, and it is always a
good day when we are doing bipartisan things on behalf of American
competitiveness.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1325, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), who is our former chairman.
{time} 1500
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have to acknowledge this: I can't think of
a better set of hands to have the chairmanship of this critically
important committee of Science, Space, and Technology in than Chairman
Babin and Ranking Member Lofgren and my good friend, the gentlewoman
from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) over there. The committee that the chairman
presides over represents the future of this great country. I always
tell people that the Science, Space, and Technology Committee is not
just about yesterday or tomorrow, but it is 5 years, it is 50 years, it
is 250 years into the future, and that is just an amazing thing.
Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1325, the Commercial Remote Sensing
Act. I have introduced this bipartisan legislation in the past two
Congresses, and on both occasions, the measures passed the House by
voice vote. I reintroduced the bill this Congress along with my
colleague and friend, the ranking member of the Science, Space, and
Technology Committee, Ms. Lofgren.
It updates the reporting requirements for NOAA's Office of Commercial
Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs so that Congress can monitor how
regulations are impacting the growth and improvement of the commercial
remote sensing industry.
Congress first authorized the licensing and regulation of commercial
remote sensing space systems in 1992. Since then, the industry has
become a crucial resource in a number of industries including
agriculture, finance, trade, and energy.
Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images
of Earth. This imagery and data has a number of important applications.
It can allow farmers to improve crop production by more efficiently
applying water and fertilizer. It can inform the future commodity
prices by actively monitoring weather and crop health.
It can also improve our ability to prepare for and respond to natural
disasters by instructing flood plain mapping, tornado tracking, and
drought monitoring, topics that are all front-of-mind for all
Americans, but especially those in my home State of Oklahoma.
[[Page H1204]]
Commercial remote sensing can also be helpful in humanitarian relief
efforts and monitoring treaty compliance, among other national security
and foreign affairs applications.
This technology provides us with critical information for a number of
fields. As the industry is constantly evolving and growing, we must
make sure that Congress is receiving timely and comprehensive reports
to accurately evaluate how regulations are affecting the state of the
industry.
The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 established a
reporting requirement from the Department of Commerce on the status of
commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. That requirement
expired in 2020.
H.R. 1325 will reinstate the reporting requirement and keep Congress
informed of agency actions, their impact on licensees, and the state of
the commercial remote sensing industry.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1325 is a simple, bipartisan bill that will help
ensure that the United States remains the global leader in the
commercial remote sensing industry.
I thank Ranking Member Lofgren for joining me in advancing this
legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am
prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time to
speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I yield
myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, it is always a good thing when we have a Lucas bill, and
particularly when it is a bipartisan bill, and usually it is. You just
heard his remarks in this debate. He has really nailed this one.
H.R. 1325 remains an important and necessary piece of legislation
that I am proud to support and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, commercial remote
sensing provides us with critical information related to a number of
fields important to U.S. competitiveness.
H.R. 1325 will ensure that Congress receives the updates necessary to
monitor industry regulations. Updating these reporting requirements
will ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in this crucial sector.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1325.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________