S.Amdt. 6684

This amendment, submitted by Mrs. Moody, seeks to add a new section called the Space Ready Act to bill S. 4784. Its main purpose is to allow the NASA Administrator to run a pilot program for public and private investments in infrastructure projects at NASA Centers.

Specifically, it aims to add the following to the bill:

• Infrastructure Funding: It allows NASA to enter into agreements to collect voluntary contributions from commercial entities, as well as Federal, State, or local authorities, to fund the repair, maintenance, and improvement of "common use infrastructure." This includes things like roadways and commodities pipelines that benefit one or more NASA Center users but do not solely benefit NASA.

• Financial Protections and Transparency: The amendment requires NASA to set cost and schedule baselines for projects and provide commercial entities with final project costs. It also mandates that any unspent funds from a commercial entity be returned or redesignated to another project.

• Operational Rules: It ensures that NASA cannot deny leases or other authorizations for commercial activities just because a company refuses to contribute to these infrastructure projects.

• Accountability: The Administrator must provide an annual report to the Senate and House committees detailing expenditures and proposed uses of funds, along with milestone updates every two years.

• Timeline: The authority to collect these voluntary contributions is set to end on December 31, 2031.