Space Industrialization Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
Space Industrialization Act of 1980 - Title I: Establishment of Space Industrialization Corporation - Authorizes the establishment of the Space Industrialization Corporation. Directs the President to appoint a panel assist in the selection of persons to be appointed to the board of directors of such corporation. Sets forth the terms and conditions of membership on such board. Sets forth the powers and duties of such corporation, including the provision of the financial means to purchase satellite launching and related services. Requires the Corporation to provide assistance by financing industrial ventures under negotiated management plans to promote the development of new products, processes, services, and industries in space, and the transfer of space technology for applications having potential societal benefits. Requires applications for assistance to contain a detailed description of all of the technical, business, and economic aspects of the project. Limits assistance to corporations or groups organized under the laws of any State or territory or possession of the United States and to U.S. citizens. Requires the Corporation to give preference to those proposals which have high potential benefits with consideration being given to the level of risk and the potential for recovery of the assistance provided, and in which the applicant demonstrates substantial commitment to achieving technical, financial, and business objectives. Requires the Corporation and an applicant whose proposal is found to be meritorious to negotiate a management plan which includes appropriate intermediate goals and milestones, a requirement that no less than five percent of the costs will be provided by the applicant, provision for continuing review by the Corporation, a requirement for repayment of the assistance authority of the Corporation to terminate such assistance, the cost of utilizing space industrial systems, and the functions to be performed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Permits the Corporation to make special grants to applicants to correct deficiencies in proposals otherwise meritorious. Requires the Corporation to establish criteria and guidelines for administering the assistance program. Reserves to an applicant for assistance all rights to intellectual properties and discoveries pertaining to or disclosed in the proposal and any other such properties held and discoveries made prior to final approval of the project involved. Establishes in the Treasury of the United States a Space Industrialization Trust Fund to be made available to the Corporation for use in carrying out the objectives and purposes of this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to invest a portion of the Funds as specified. Directs the President to aid in the planning, development, and execution of a national program implementing space industrialization systems, coordinate the activities of governmental agencies with responsibilities in fields related to space industrialization, and exercise appropriate supervision over relationships of the Corporation with foreign governments and international bodies. Directs NASA to advise and consult with the Corporation on the technical characteristics of space industrialization systems, assist in the conduct of research, development, and operations, and to furnish launching and associated services. Requires the Corporation to notify and consult with the Department of State whenever specified business negotiations are entered into with any international or foreign entity. Directs the Corporation to transmit annually to the President and Congress a report containing a comprehensive description and evaluation of the activities and accomplishments of the Corporation. Title II: Public Ownership of Space Industrialization Corporation - Directs the Board to take all steps necessary to transfer the Corporation from Government to public ownership. Subjects the Corporation to the District of Columbia Business Corporation Act. Authorizes the Corporation to issue shares of capital stock, nonvoting securities, bonds, debentures, and other certificates of indebtedness. Permits inspection and copying of Corporation records by stockholders without regard to the percentage of stock held. Requires all proceeds from securities issued to be deposited in the Space Industrialization Trust Fund. Requires sums from such Fund to be used to pay all expenses of dividend, interest, and redemption payments and to repay appropriations as specified to the general fund of the Treasury.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 21, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 21, 1980: Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DON FUQUA (D-FL) introduced it on May 21, 1980, and 15 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 8 Democrats, 7 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 21, 1980, 16913 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16913 days ago, on May 21, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers