Nasa Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5746) to amend title 51, United States Code, to extend the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to enter into leases of non-excess property of the Administration, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5746
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress find the following:
(1) NASA uses enhanced use leasing to enter into agreements with private sector entities, State and local governments, academic institutions, and other Federal agencies for lease of non-excess, underutilized NASA properties and facilities.
(2) NASA uses enhanced use leasing authority to support responsible management of its real property, including to improve the use of underutilized property for activities that are compatible with NASA's mission and to reduce facility operating and maintenance costs.
(3) In fiscal year 2019, under its enhanced use lease authority, NASA leased 65 real properties.
(4) In fiscal year 2019, NASA's use of enhanced use leasing resulted in the collection of $10,843,025.77 in net revenue.
(5) In fiscal year 2019, NASA used a portion of its enhanced use leasing revenues for repairs of facility control systems such as lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
(6) NASA's use of enhanced use leasing authority can contribute to reducing the rate of increase of the Agency's overall deferred maintenance cost. SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO LEASES OF NON- EXCESS PROPERTY OF THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION.
Section 20145(g) of title 51, United States Code, is amended by striking ``December 31, 2021'' and inserting ``December 31, 2031''. SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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Mr. BEYER. 5746, the bill now under consideration.
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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support passage of the bipartisan NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021, H.R. 5746.
I want to thank my colleagues, Ranking Member Brian Babin of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Representative Troy Carter, and Representative Young Kim, for being original cosponsors.
Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill that would enable public- and private-sector entities the opportunity to benefit from NASA property that is not fully used, while helping NASA manage its vast facilities and maintenance challenges.
The act would extend NASA'S authority to enter into leases for underutilized, non-excess real property, including office space, testing and launch facilities, and hangars, to other Federal, State, and local government agencies, academic institutions, and private- sector entities.
NASA's existing enhanced use lease authority, or EUL, expires on the last day of this month, December 31, 2021.
While several short-term extensions have previously been enacted, this act provides a clean, 10-year extension that will create more certainty for NASA and the many EUL partners who benefit from the authority. According to the July 2021 NASA testimony to the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, that I chair and Dr. Babin is the ranking member of, the agency has 70 ongoing leases at six NASA centers.
The authority also allows NASA to retain lease revenue and apply it toward maintenance, capital revitalization, and improvement of NASA's real property assets.
That is important because with the majority of NASA's facilities dating back to the Apollo era and over 80 percent beyond their design life, maintenance is an ongoing challenge. NASA currently manages a deferred maintenance backlog of $2.6 billion. The revenue NASA receives from enhanced use leases, $10.8 million in fiscal year 2019, can help avoid further increases to that backlog.
EUL authority also benefits the private entities, the Federal, State, and local government agencies, and the academic institutions that enter into lease agreements to use specialized facilities and properties, such as launch infrastructure, while also providing the valuable service to NASA of maintaining the properties.
In addition, co-locating other Federal, State, and local government agencies, private-sector entities, and other institutions on NASA properties creates a vibrancy and community at NASA centers that benefits NASA and its workforce, including through partnerships with those institutions.
Mr. Speaker, NASA's leadership and success in expanding our knowledge through groundbreaking scientific discoveries and extending human presence deeper into space inspires our youth, advances our technological capacity, and strengthens our economy.
Enabling such an inspiring mission requires unique infrastructure and extensive property and facilities. We need to ensure that NASA has the tools and flexibilities to continue its successes for decades to come. Those tools include the ability to manage property that may no longer be actively or fully used by NASA, at least at this time.
The bipartisan NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021 ensures the benefits of EUL authority will continue for the next decade, and in so doing, provides stability to NASA and its EUL partners.
Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill is good for NASA, good for the entities that benefit from EUL authority, and good for the taxpayer.
We cannot afford to let this important authority lapse and risk delays and disruption to the many new leases currently being processed by NASA.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and support passage of H.R. 5746 so that the Senate can swiftly pass it and send it to the President's desk for signature and enactment.
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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close when necessary.
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Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I concur with my friend Dr. Babin that we are very fortunate to be led by Eddie Bernice Johnson, our chair, and Frank Lucas, our ranking member. It is a joy to work on this committee, and we actually work together in a good way. I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin), the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) for cosponsoring this and helping put this together, and our wonderful Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee staff, who actually took the time to put the title of this bill in iambic pentameter, the NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this good bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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