Summary
# H.R. 290: Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2023
## WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill makes changes to the federal rules for reporting on commercial remote sensing systems (equipment used to collect images of Earth from satellites or aircraft). The bill shortens reporting deadlines and requires more detailed information be included in annual reports about licensing activities.
## WHO IT AFFECTS
The following groups are directly impacted by this bill:
- Federal agencies that oversee commercial remote sensing licensing
- Companies that apply for or hold licenses to operate remote sensing systems
- The general public, through increased transparency of licensing information
## KEY PROVISIONS
- Reports on commercial remote sensing licensing must be submitted within 60 days instead of 120 days (Sec. 2(a)(1) and (a)(2))
- Annual reports must include all terms, conditions or restrictions placed on licensed companies (Sec. 2(c))
- Reports must list all applications submitted and licenses granted, organized by category level called "tier," along with the reason for each tier assignment (Sec. 2(d))
- Notifications about licensing must reference specific sections of the licensing law (Sec. 2(b))
## WHAT CHANGES
The deadline for submitting annual licensing reports gets cut in half from 120 days to 60 days. Reports will need to include more information about licensing decisions and their reasoning, as well as details about any rules or limits placed on licensed companies.
## IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
Not specified in bill text
## EFFECTIVE DATE
Not specified in bill text
IIB
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 290
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JANUARY 31, 2023
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation
AN ACT
To provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote
sensing systems, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Commercial Remote
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Sensing Amendment Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTS.
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(a) DEADLINES.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 60121(c) of title 51,
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United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘120’’
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and inserting ‘‘60’’.
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(2)
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section
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60126(a)(1)(E) of title 51, United States Code, is
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amended by striking ‘‘120’’ and inserting ‘‘60’’.
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(b) NOTIFICATIONS.—Section 60126(a)(2) of title
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51, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘section
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60122; and’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (5) and (6) of sec-
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tion 60122(b);’’.
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(c) CONDITIONS.—Section 60126(a) of title 51,
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United States Code, is amended—
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(1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
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graph (4); and
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(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
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lowing new paragraph:
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‘‘(3) all terms, conditions, or restrictions placed
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on licensees pursuant to section 60122; and’’.
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(d) TIERS.—Section 60126(a)(1) of title 51, United
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States Code, is amended—
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(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ at
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the end;
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(2) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at
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the end; and
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(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
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paragraph:
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‘‘(F) a list of all applications submitted
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and licenses granted in accordance therewith,
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listed by tier as defined in regulation, as well as
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the rationale for each tier categorization;’’.
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(e) SUNSET.—Section 60126 of title 51, United
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States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘September 30,
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2020’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2030’’.
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Passed the House of Representatives January 30,
2023.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.
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