Grayson Improves NASA Authorization Bill
Representative Passes Five Amendments in Committee Markup
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Congressman Alan Grayson (FL-09) passed five amendments in last week’s Science, Space, and Technology Committee markup of H.R. 2687, the “National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2013”. Each of Grayson’s amendments passed unanimously, by a voice vote.
Grayson’s first amendment emphasizes the importance of safety standards for human space flight. “As commercial human space flight become increasingly possible, it’s important to ensure that NASA safety requirements are adhered to by all human space flight providers,” Grayson said.
His second amendment requires that the “Mars Human Exploration Roadmap” established in H.R. 2687 includes an examination of the benefits of using existing launch facilities for future missions to Mars. The list of existing launch facilities includes Central Florida’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC). “Kennedy Space Center launched men to the moon,” said Grayson. “When the time comes to launch men beyond it, I want Kennedy Space Center to be that place once more. We established our dominance in space with these existing launch pads. We’ve paid for these incredible launch facilities already – we shouldn’t have to subsidize the construction of others in the future.”
Grayson Amendment #176 requires NASA to consider American public-private partnership human space flight providers, in addition to domestic commercial providers, before looking to international ones. Grayson offered an example, saying, “If a state enterprise, such as Space Florida, teams up with a local Florida firm to put a human in space, we wouldn’t want to see NASA overlook their capabilities for a Russian state-run operation simply because Florida has majority control of the venture.”
Another Grayson amendment protects taxpayers by prohibiting government contracts with corporations that have been convicted of fraud, embezzlement, theft, forgery, tax evasion, bribery, or violations of federal or state law in connection with obtaining public contracts. Grayson has passed three similar amendments to Appropriations bills this year.
Grayson’s fifth and final amendment prioritizes NASA’s Science Mission Directorate for additional funding in the event that sequestration is repealed. “If more funds are made available to NASA, my amendment ensures that this additional money will fund the work of the Science Mission Directorate, which oversees our country’s space program in Earth and Space research,” he explained.
Grayson has now passed twenty-five committee amendments, an accomplishment that led to Slate labeling him"the most effective member of the House."
Congressman Alan Grayson represents Florida’s 9th Congressional District, which includes Osceola County, as well as parts of Orange and Polk counties. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 8th Congressional District in the 111th Congress.
