Sec. 707. Infrastructure

446 words·~2 min read·/bill/113/s/1317/rs/section-707

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It is the sense of Congress that— the Administration has a role in providing access to unique or specialized laboratory capabilities that are not economically viable for purchase by commercial entities and therefore are not available outside of NASA; the deteriorating condition of the Administration's facilities and other infrastructure is hampering the research effectiveness and efficiency performed at those facilities by both the Administration and industry participants; the Administration must improve the condition of its facilities and infrastructure to maintain the competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry; to ensure continued researcher access to reliable and efficient world-class facilities, the Administration should seek to establish strategic partnerships with other Federal agencies, academic institutions, and industry, as appropriate; and decisions regarding whether to dispose of, maintain, or modernize existing facilities and other infrastructure must be made in the context of meeting the future laboratory needs of the Administration and other Federal agencies.

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan for retaining or acquiring the facilities, laboratories, equipment, test capabilities, and other infrastructure necessary to meet the Administration's mandates and its current and future missions. The plan shall— identify the Administration's future infrastructure needs, including facilities, laboratories, equipment, and test capabilities; include a strategy for identifying and removing unnecessary or duplicative infrastructure consistent with the national strategic direction under the National Space Policy, the National Aeronautics Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Infrastructure Plan, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010, title 51 of the United States Code, and other Administration-related law; include a strategy for the maintenance, repair, upgrading, and modernization of the Administration’s facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infrastructure; recommend criteria for prioritizing deferred maintenance tasks and for upgrading or modernizing facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infrastructure; include an assessment of modifications needed to maximize the use of facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infrastructure that offer unique and highly specialized benefits to the aerospace industry and the public; and include recommendations for implementation, including a timeline, milestones, and an estimate of the resources required for carrying out the plan.

The Administrator shall establish a capital fund at each of NASA’s field centers for the modernization of facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infrastructure in accordance with the plan under subsection (b). The Administrator shall ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that any financial savings achieved by closing an outdated or surplus facility at a NASA field center is made available to that field center’s capital fund for the purpose of modernizing that field center’s facilities, laboratories, equipment, and other infrastructure in accordance with the plan under subsection (b).