FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 1998 CONTACT: Brian Chase (202) 225-3671 brian.chase@mail.house.gov Actuality (202) 226-3530 REP. WELDON PRAISES SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE FOR ACTING ON SPACE POLICY BILLS Commerce Committee sends NASA Authorization, Commercial Space Act to floor Washington, DC - - The Senate Commerce Committee today completed action on two key space policy measures that provide budget authority for NASA and encourage the growth of the commercial space sector."I'm very pleased the Senate has taken a leadership role in space policy," said U.S. Representative Dave Weldon (R-FL), who has been active in space policy issues in the House. "NASA has not had an authorization bill in several years, and, since our budgeting process is designed for a two-track process, Congress has been negligent by relying solely on appropriations bills. As long as our budgeting structure remains the same, we need to pass both authorization and appropriations bills, and the Commerce Committee is helping to get that process back on track again." "The Commerce Committee also took an important step to help foster growth of the nation's commercial space business," continued Weldon. "Senators Bob Graham and Connie Mack of Florida really led this effort in the Senate, and I'm proud that Florida continues to lead the way in promoting progressive space policy initiatives. We still have a long way to go when it comes to helping our commercial space sector, but the Commercial Space Act is an excellent start. One important provision requires the Department of Defense to conduct a comprehensive study of our nation's space launch infrastructure. If we don't address the serious deficiencies at our nation's launch sites, we'll continue to see commercial space business head overseas." "I also want to thank our House Science Committee leadership for helping to get us this far," concluded Weldon. "Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Ranking Member George Brown, and Chairman Dana Rohrabacher deserve much of the thanks and credit for this achievement."Both bills are expected to reach the Senate floor sometime in April. If they pass, the House and Senate will meet in a conference committee to work out differences in the two chambers' version of the bills. [Rep. Weldon's audio comments on this subject are available by calling (202) 226-3530.]# # # ============================================ BRIAN CHASE Press Secretary U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon 216 Cannon HOB Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3671 (202) 225-3516 (fax) brian.chase@mail.house.gov .