Politiparty
Politiparty

118th Congress Science, Technology, Communications

S. 1982: SPACEPORT Act

Introduced

  1. Introduced (completed)Jun 14, 2023
  2. Passed Senate (not reached)
  3. Passed House (not reached)
  4. To the President (not reached)
  5. Became law (not reached)

Summary

Introduced in Senate, Jun 14, 2023

This bill modifies requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching Grants Program. The program supported the development of spaceports (e.g., testing and launching stations for spacecraft) and other space-related infrastructure.

Under current law, a grant may cover a maximum of 50% of the total cost of a project; at least 10% must be paid for by the private sector. The bill removes the requirement of private sector contributions and increases the maximum amount that the grant may cover to 90% of a project's total cost. The bill also allows the FAA to waive the maximum cost limitations if it deems it to be in the national interest.

Additionally, under the bill, in selecting grant recipients, the FAA may consider a project's contribution towards meeting the civil, national security, and commercial space transportation needs of the United States (rather than only the needs of the U.S. government).

Read the full summary

The bill also limits funding for the grant program to congressional appropriations; other funding sources, such as user fees, may not be used.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Roll calls

0 votes on this bill

No roll call votes have been held on this bill.

Amendments

0 offered

No amendments were offered to this bill.

Cosponsors

3

Bipartisan support.

Who scored on this bill

6 points earned
  1. 1John Hickenlooper D-CO SponsorDrew cross-party cosponsors, introduced2 events+6
See all scorers and every scoring event

Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.

Other bills by John Hickenlooper

History

  1. Jun 14, 2023Introduced in the Senate by John Hickenlooper.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
  1. Jun 14, 2023Introduced in Senate
  2. Jun 14, 2023Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.