Bill Posey's Commercial Space Proposal Gets Full House Support

The U.S. House on Thursday unanimously approved a bill by Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, to allow the Department of Defense to work with nonfederal entities when investing in space-related infrastructure, such as launch pads and support facilities.

The proposal must still find its way through the Senate.

The amendment to House Resolution 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act, enables the Department of Defense to work with Space Florida and commercial firms to jointly work on ventures at Cape Canaveral and other space ports.

This amendment will give commercial space companies an incentive to spend their money here and do business here in Florida and around the U.S. instead of places like Russia and China, which have been siphoning off our commercial space business, Posey stated in a release.

Last year, according to the Space Foundation, the U.S. conducted zero commercial space launches while Russia completed 10 commercial launches and China had two. Rolling back the red tape and enabling Defense Department, Space Florida, and the commercial sector to collaborate and work together is just a common-sense way to make America more competitive.

Currently, the Department of Defense is restricted from accepting funds from commercial entities for nondefense-related purposes unless they are tied to a specific Defense Department mission.

This new relationship will assure a more robust partnership between the state and the Pentagon, Frank DiBello, Space Florida president, stated in a release.

Through this legislation the taxpayer and the war-fighter will benefit as the commercial and military activity in Brevard move into a stronger and more diversified future.