Lamar Smith

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, graduation season is once again upon us, and congratulations go to all who have accomplished the outstanding goal of attaining a high school diploma or college degree. I also want to recognize the hundreds of thousands of teachers in my home state, the great state of Texas--from pre-K to post-grad. One of the great higher education systems in the nation is the University of Texas System, which just happens to be headquartered in my district. Each year, UT System institutions confer more than one- third of Texas' undergraduate degrees and educate two-thirds of the state's health care professionals. Overall, the UT System includes more than 210,000 students across the state, a group of young Texans that includes first generation Americans striving to improve their place in society, engineers, computer scientists, historians, educators, inventors, and future doctors. The UT System is also one of the largest employers in Texas. Across its fourteen campuses, the System employs more than 90,000 faculty, staff, and administrators, all focused on three aligned objectives: educate the future leaders of our nation, innovate and create the discoveries and tools of tomorrow, and advance scholarly knowledge beyond current boundaries. The UT System family includes three of the nation's 68 National Cancer Institute cancer centers--one of which, the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio, is located in my district. In addition, the UT Health Science Center in San Antonio is one of the four UT System medical centers to have received continuous Clinical and Translational Science Awards from the National Institutes of Health for their proven success in quickly delivering to patients the drugs and therapies they discover. UT San Antonio was the first university in Texas, and twenty-third nationwide, to be recognized by the NSA as a national leader in the emerging field of cybersecurity research and training and designated a Center for Academic Excellence. UT's MD Anderson Cancer Center, located at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, is often recognized as the top cancer center in the world. It conducts more cancer clinical trials than any institution across the globe, receives more National Cancer Institute funding than any other institution, and is responsible for more than one-third of all new FDA- approved cancer drugs. UT Austin is home to more than 200 members of the National Academies and 12 recipients of the National Medal of Science. And it has 43 academic programs considered to be in the Top 10 nationally; 50 in the Top 25. The UT Medical Branch is home to the Galveston National Laboratory, the only operational BioSafety Level 4 National Lab on a university campus in the United States. Scientists there are playing a leading role in researching and developing treatments and vaccines for global infectious diseases, and were recently included in the group of Ebola fighters Time Magazine chose to represent their Person of the Year. Last year, UT El Paso was selected by Washington Monthly as one of the top 10 universities in the nation, grouped with Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego and ranked #1 for the third consecutive year among all U.S. universities in the social mobility category for its success in helping students achieve the American Dream. The UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas is home to six Nobel Laureates--a distinction no other medical school in America can claim. UT Arlington is the largest producer of baccalaureate educated nurses in Texas and the largest not-for-profit college of nursing in the nation, training nearly 8,000 on-line and in-person students. The extraordinary emergency care doctors of UT Health Science Center Houston who manage the world's busiest Level 1 Trauma Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital were featured this year in the Lifetime Network series ``Life flight: Trauma Center Houston.'' UT Dallas was ranked 15th in the 2014 Times Higher Education magazine list of the world's most outstanding young universities. One of the criteria contributing to this ranking is the high standing of the university's students. The average SAT score for incoming freshman consistently is the highest among public universities in Texas. UT Health Science Center Tyler, northeast Texas' only university medical center, is ranked by Axial and Becker's Hospital Review as one of the top 100 hospitals in the country for patient healthcare, including quality, patient satisfaction, and communication. UT Tyler is a leading innovator for providing students with multiple options to complete a degree from remote locations. It is the only university in Texas to offer three distance-learning campuses where students can take classes close to home. In addition, the UT Tyler Houston Engineering Center provides a seamless pathway to a four-year degree in civil, electrical, or mechanical engineering in partnership with Houston Community College. Students can take lower-division courses at HCC and upper-division courses from UT Tyler at the Alief- Hayes Road Campus in Houston. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) has created Early College High Schools with several West Texas school districts at which at-risk high school students have the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and up to sixty college credit hours. The first UTPB Early College High School within the Presidio Independent School District was the first in Texas where college courses are delivered online. But, Mr. Speaker, the UT System is not resting on its laurels. In fact, it is preparing for the future on several fronts. It is in the process of opening what will become the second-largest Hispanic-serving institution in the nation. UT Rio Grande Valley will incorporate multiple locations throughout South Texas and will have a transformative effect on the health, economy and overall well-being of the region. When UTRGV opens its doors, the UT System will also become the only university system in America to open a new university with a medical school in the 21st century. In fact, the UT System is the only university system in the country currently building two new medical schools--in addition to UTRGV, the System is creating the new Dell Medical School as a part of UT Austin's growing presence. Mr. Speaker, as you can see I am proud to represent the University of Texas System, which rightfully has been recognized as one of the great university systems in the U.S.

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 300, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment Offered by Mr. Cartwright

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2015 Service Academy appointees from the 21st Congressional District of Texas. The following individuals have accepted academy appointments: McKinlee Marie Boss, Smithson Valley High School, United States Military Academy; William Ellis Cooper, Jack C. Hays High School, United States Air Force Academy; Shelby Lee Feldman, Comfort High School, United States Air Force Academy; Nicky Sophia Manitzas, Liberal Arts and Science Academy of Austin, Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University, United States Military Academy; Elisa Elena Nelson, Winston Churchill High School, United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School, United States Air Force Academy; Rollins Law Olmsted, Our Lady of the Hills Catholic High School, Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University, United States Military Academy; Scott Allen Pofahl, Bandera High School, Greystone Preparatory School at Schreiner University, United States Military Academy; Travis S. Pospisil, Boerne-Samuel V. Champion High School, United States Naval Academy; Nicholas Cole Smisek, Winston Churchill High School, United States Air Force Academy; Aaron Raoul Solorzano, Alamo Heights High School, United States Military Academy; and Eric James Yandura, Claudia Taylor ``Lady Bird'' Johnson High School, United States Air Force Academy. Again, congratulations to these outstanding students. I know they will serve our country well and I trust success will follow them in all their endeavors.

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend, the chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee for yielding me time. I thank the chairman, also, and his staff, especially John Martens, Leslie Albright, and Ashley Schiller, for working with the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. I especially appreciate the chairman's support for prioritizing the funding of the basic research at the National Science Foundation. This research--especially in the areas of math and physical sciences, biology, computing, and engineering--holds the promise of breakthroughs that will trigger technological innovation, jump-start new industries, and spur economic growth. This bill ensures that NSF is transparent and accountable to American taxpayers about how their hard-earned dollars are spent and that NSF- supported research is in the national interest. The House CJS Appropriations bill also addresses concerns about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's costly satellite program. In addition, this bill encourages NOAA to include private sector involvement in the space-based weather industry. Finally, I thank Chairman Culberson for his reprioritization of NASA planetary science, which implements the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's NASA authorization reported in April. I further look forward to working with Chairman Culberson and Chairman Rogers to fully fund the Orion and Commercial Crew programs so that we can once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. Again, I thank my friend from Texas, Chairman Culberson, for his enthusiasm and initiative and urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman Culberson and the staff of the Commerce- Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee, especially John Martens, Leslie Albright and Ashley Schiller for working with the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. I particularly appreciate your support for prioritizing the funding of the basic research at the National Science Foundation. This research, especially in the areas of math and physical sciences, biology, computing and engineering, holds the promise of breakthroughs that will trigger technological innovation, jumpstart new industries and spur economic growth. This bill also supports other language in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015, which passed the House two weeks ago. It ensures that NSF is transparent and accountable to American taxpayers about how their hard-earned dollars are spent and that NSF- supported research is in the national interest. The National Science Foundation has played an integral part in funding breakthrough discoveries in numerous scientific fields such as lasers, the Internet and nanotechnology. However, NSF has also approved dozens of grants for which the scientific merits and national interest are not obvious, to put it politely. These include a climate change musical, a Norwegian tourism study, a grant on human-set fires in New Zealand in the 1800's, a study of lawsuits in Peru in the 1600s, and a grant on the causes of stress in Bolivia. This bill supports the policy that every NSF public announcement of a grant award must be accompanied by a non-technical explanation of the project's scientific merits and a certification of how it serves the national interest. This reinforces the standards set forth in the America COMPETES Act of 2015. The House CJS appropriations bill also addresses concerns about the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) costly satellite program. It ensures that appropriate oversight access is given to the Office of the Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, and NOAA's own Independent Review Team. Likewise, recommendations from these bodies will help guide the satellite programs as they move closer to their anticipated launch dates. In addition, this bill encourages NOAA to include private sector involvement in the space-based weather industry. NOAA's costly satellite programs have historically been plagued with management problems. Encouraging NOAA to purchase services from the private sector will allow for a more robust, cost-effective and efficient weather forecasting system that will help save lives and property. I look forward to offering an amendment shortly, with Chairman Culberson's support, to further enhance NOAA's weather research of near-term, affordable and attainable advances in observational, computing and modeling capabilities. The amendment will result in substantial improvements in weather forecasts. Finally, I thank Chairman Culberson for his re-prioritization of NASA planetary science, which implements the Science Committees' NASA Authorization reported in April. I further look forward to working with Chairman Culberson and Chairman Rogers to fully fund the Orion and Commercial Crew Programs so that we can once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil. The Commercial Crew program will allow the U.S. access to the International Space Station without depending on Russia. The Orion program will expand human reach into deep space and serve as an emergency backup for the Commercial Crew program. As we move forward with a Conference with the Senate, I hope that we can identify ways to support these programs more robustly, perhaps by moderating the growth of other accounts such as Earth Science, which has increased 63 percent since 2007 while other areas of NASA have remained flat. Again, I thank my friend from Texas, Chairman Culberson, for his enthusiasm and initiative on this bill and urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Bridenstine), who is the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, my amendment takes direct, strong action to address America's weather forecasting shortcomings in order to reduce the loss of life and property from severe storms. The amendment I offer on behalf of myself; Science, Space, and Technology Committee Vice Chairman Frank Lucas; and Environment Subcommittee Chairman Jim Bridenstine directs that the full $120 million authorized in House-passed H.R. 1561, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2015, be provided in the NOAA Operations, Research, and Facilities appropriation account. The recent flooding in Texas and tornados in Oklahoma demonstrate the immediate need to quickly implement better weather research and forecasting by fully funding H.R. 1561. The House unanimously passed that bill just 2 weeks ago. We also unanimously passed it over a year ago in April 2014. Now, thanks to Chairman Culberson's initiative and support, the CJS bill will add the needed resources to transform our antiquated 1980s weather forecasting system into a 21st century weather enterprise in the next few years. Specifically, this amendment will provide $5 million more for weather lab research in NOAA, to total the $80 million authorized. The amendment will also provide $16 million more for weather research technology transfer in NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, to total $20 million authorized to implement a labs and Cooperative Institutes research-to-operations program. This program will improve the understanding of how the public responds to warnings and transfer new technology to the National Weather Service, the American weather industry, and the academic partners. This new joint Technology Transfer Initiative should include support for the Vortex-SE project and development of advanced national and global cloud resolving models; quantitative observing system assessment tools; atmospheric chemistry needed for weather prediction; and additional sources of weather data, which includes commercial observing systems. Once again, I appreciate Chairman Culberson's accepting the amendment, which will help save lives and reduce property damage. As the CJS Appropriations chairman, Mr. Culberson has proved himself to be capable, knowledgeable, and committed to the country's best interest. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a recent poll shows that a great majority of the American people continue to oppose President Obama's immigration policies. The new Rasmussen Reports national survey found that 77 percent of likely voters view illegal immigration as a serious problem in America today. Just 19 percent do not. Most voters, 63 percent, believe that controlling our borders is more important than providing a legal status to those already in the country illegally. This is the highest level of support for border security since 2011. And almost three-fifths of voters think that a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants will just encourage more unlawful immigration. Just one-quarter disagree. As in prior polls, Mr. Speaker, a strong majority of voters, 62 percent, feel that the United States is not aggressive enough in deporting illegal immigrants. A similar percentage of voters want to use our military along our southern border to prevent unlawful entries. It is time for the President to heed voters' views on illegal immigration and to enforce immigration laws.

Mr. SMITH of Texas

Mr. SMITH of Texas. I thank my colleague from California (Mr. Rohrabacher), a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, for yielding me time. I simply want to say that this amendment requires an independent report about the inclusion of spaceflight participants in the indemnification regime. This is an important topic, and gathering additional information on this policy would be helpful for future legislation. Requiring this study is reasonable and consistent with the spirit and the policies of the underlying bill, so I support it.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, this amendment contains minor corrections to the underlying bill and is generally technical in nature. The amendment provides clarity to some of the reports in the bill on the learning period, orbital traffic management, commercial remote sensing, and the inclusion of classified annexes. Additionally, this amendment ensures that Federal courts handling legal disputes will look to substantive State law to resolve claims that arise from a federally licensed launch. Finally, this amendment includes a reporting requirement from the Government Accounting Office about the inclusion of State and municipal launch facilities in the indemnification regime. This technical amendment will improve the clarity of multiple sections of the bill and ensure continued support for the growing commercial space industry. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I don't oppose the amendment.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, this amendment requires the orbital traffic management study in the underlying bill to be conducted by an independent, nonprofit, private systems engineering and technical assistance organization. Requiring the study to be done by a nonprofit is reasonable and consistent with the spirit of the study requirement in the underlying bill. I appreciate the gentleman's amendment; I support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this substitute amendment and to support the underlying bill, which has significant improvements to the Senate bill, and that is why we should pass it. I will now enter into the Record an exchange of letters between the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology regarding H.R. 2262. May 18, 2015. Hon. Lamar Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Smith: I write concerning H.R. 2262, the Spurring Private Aerospace Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Act of 2015. This legislation includes matters that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 2262, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I request you urge the Speaker to name members of the Committee to any conference committee named to consider such provisions. Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Sincerely, Bill Shuster, Chairman.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This amendment seeks to strike and replace the entire underlying bill with Senate legislation which differs with the House bill in many respects. The Senate bill, S. 1297, is a work product of the Senate. It has not been negotiated with any Member of this Chamber. In fact, the Senate just marked up the bill yesterday. This amendment abdicates the House's legislative responsibilities to the Senate. The SPACE Act paves the way for the next generation of explorers and innovators. This amendment prevents the House from providing any direction for the future of space exploration. We must consider what we will forfeit if we accept this amendment. The amendment significantly shortens the extension of the regulatory learning period and the extension of the indemnification regime. These changes reduce certainty in the commercial launch market and could threaten the jobs of thousands of Americans. These are hard- working men and women who depend on the extension of these laws for their jobs. They count on us to provide some certainty for their industry. This amendment strikes all of the commonsense transparency provisions in the SPACE Act and significantly shortens the extension of the learning period. This extension is essential to the health of the commercial space industry. Also, this amendment includes a significant reduction to the regulatory flexibility provided in the underlying bill. The underlying bill requires assessments from the FAA on the growth of the industry, constructive interactions between stakeholders and the FAA, a glide path to a safety framework that enables and encourages innovations, and improvements in safety. These are all part of a development structure that combines lessons learned from the industry with the inherent government function to protect the public. The underlying bill preserves FAA's ability to regulate commercial human spaceflight in order to protect national security, public health, and safety. It also preserves FAA's existing authorities to regulate spaceflight participant and crew safety. This amendment does not include any comparable benchmarking tools for Congress to monitor the growth of the industry. The amendment removes the ability of stakeholders to work with the FAA to develop safety standards that will improve the industry as a whole. The amendment will have a chilling effect on the industry and put stakeholders on the defense against an onslaught of government intervention and possible lawsuits. This does not support a dynamic space economy or encourage innovation. This amendment assumes that the commercial space industry has not placed a priority on safety. It is unfortunate that the minority looks at the American entrepreneurial spirit in this way. Under the Senate bill, spaceflight participants would be exposed to significant financial risk and liability. This amendment strikes the vital provisions of the underlying bill which help ensure that human spaceflight is available to anyone who wants to participate. The minority talks a lot about safety. I appreciate that. I think everyone involved in the space industry places a high priority on these endeavors being as safe as possible. I just wish the minority had a higher opinion of the scientists, engineers, and technicians building these systems. Let's be clear. Space is inherently risky. America's memory is imprinted with tragic events such as the Apollo 1 fire, Challenger, and Columbia. The appropriate way to improve safety systems and reduce risk is to test, launch, learn, study, and repeat. The entire space industry is behind this bill. I do not oppose the gentlewoman's amendment simply because the Senate bill has no good qualities. I oppose the gentlewoman's amendment because it would abdicate the responsibilities of the House. I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment and not turn their backs on so many space companies. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment made in order under the rule.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, this amendment requires the launch license streamlining report to include recommendations on how the FAA should facilitate outreach to minority- and women-owned businesses about opportunities in the commercial space industry. I don't object to the gentlewoman's amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Bridenstine), who is a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and is also the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. All space community stakeholders have expressed support for this bill. They include Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Mojave Air and Space Port, SpaceX, the National Space Society, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which represents more than 50 commercial space companies across the United States. The bill also includes many bipartisan provisions recently considered by the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. The bill is the product of over 3 years of work, numerous committee hearings, and input from industry, education groups, and grassroots citizen advocacy groups. Virtually every stakeholder group, again, has supported this bill. H.R. 2262 will keep America at the forefront of aerospace technology, promote American jobs, reduce red tape, promote safety, and inspire the next generation of explorers. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and once again thank the majority leader for introducing it.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SMITH of Texas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.