Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025

Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025

This bill makes certain changes related to the licensing of private remote sensing space systems. (Under current regulations, remote sensing refers to the collection of data by instruments in Earth's orbit, such as satellites, that can be processed into imagery of Earth's surface; private remote sensing space systems refer to remote sensing instruments not owned by the U.S. government.)

The bill decreases from 120 to 60 days the amount of time in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must review and act 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 space systems to include a list of all applications, organized by tier, as well as the rationale for each tier categorization. (Currently, each license is categorized into one of three tiers based on whether the system produces or is capable of producing data that is already available from other entities). Additionally, the report must include all terms, conditions, or restrictions placed on licensees.

The bill also reinstates this annual reporting requirement, which expired on September 30, 2020, through September 30, 2030.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1325 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1325

   To provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing 
                    systems, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2025

Mr. Lucas (for himself and Ms. Lofgren) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing 
                    systems, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment 
Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    (a) Deadlines.--
            (1) In general.--Section 60121(c) of title 51, United 
        States Code, is amended by striking ``120'' and inserting 
        ``60''.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 60126(a)(1)(E) of title 
        51, United States Code, is amended by striking ``120'' and 
        inserting ``60''.
    (b) Notifications.--Section 60126(a)(2) of title 51, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ``section 60122; and'' and inserting 
``paragraphs (5) and (6) of section 60122(b);''.
    (c) Conditions.--Section 60126(a) of title 51, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(3) all terms, conditions, or restrictions placed on 
        licensees pursuant to section 60122; and''.
    (d) Tiers.--Section 60126(a)(1) of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ``and'' at the end; 
        and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(F) a list of all applications submitted and 
                licenses granted in accordance therewith, listed by 
                tier as defined in regulation, as well as the rationale 
                for each tier categorization;''.
    (e) Sunset.--Section 60126 of title 51, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ``September 30, 2020'' and inserting ``September 
30, 2030''.
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