House Passes Lucas Bills to Support the Agriculture Industry
Washington, DC – The Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act and the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act both passed on the House floor today. These bills were sponsored by Congressman Frank D. Lucas (OK-03) along with Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
H.R. 1325, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act, updates requirements for NOAA’s Office of Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs so that Congress can monitor how regulations are impacting the growth and improvement of the commercial remote sensing industry, which serves as a crucial resource for other industries such as agriculture, trade, and energy. This will improve crop production and our ability to prepare for natural disasters.
H.R. 1326, the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act, will help address cross-cutting research challenges between the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture in order to advance crop science, maximize carbon storage, enhance precision agriculture technologies, and more.
Congressman Lucas spoke in favor of these bills on the House floor today. You can watch his remarks by clicking here or on the image below.
BACKGROUND:
H.R. 1325 – The Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act modifies provisions relating to the licensing of private remote sensing space systems. The bill decreases from 120 to 60 days the amount of time in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must review and decide on an application for a license to operate a private remote sensing space system.
Further, the bill expands annual reporting on the licensing of private remote sensing systems to include a list of all applications, listed by tier, as well as the rationale for each tier categorization.
Additionally, the report must include all terms, conditions, or restrictions placed on licensees. The bill also extends the requirement for annual reports from September 30, 2020, to September 30, 2030.
Congressman Lucas previously introduced this bill in the 117th and 118th Congresses. It passed the House by voice on both occasions.
H.R. 1326 – The purpose of the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act is to authorize the longstanding research partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). H.R. 1326 directs DOE and the USDA to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities focused on the joint advancement of DOE and USDA mission requirements and priorities through a memorandum of understanding or other appropriate interagency agreement. It also directs the Secretaries to submit a report to Congress on these activities.
Congressman Lucas previously introduced this bill in the 118th Congress. It passed the House by voice on both occasions.
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