§ 31501. Orbital debris

The Administrator, in conjunction with the heads of other Federal agencies, shall take steps to develop or acquire technologies that will enable the Administration to decrease the risks associated with orbital debris.

§ 31502. Maintenance of facilities

In order to sustain healthy Centers that are capable of carrying out the Administration’s missions, the Administrator shall ensure that adequate maintenance and upgrading of those Center facilities is performed on a regular basis.

§ 31503. Laboratory productivity

The Administration’s laboratories are a critical component of the Administration’s research capabilities, and the Administrator shall ensure that those laboratories remain productive.

§ 31504. Cooperative unmanned aerial vehicle activities

The Administrator, in cooperation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in coordination with other agencies that have existing civil capabilities, shall continue to utilize the capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles as appropriate in support of Administration and interagency cooperative missions. The Administrator may enter into cooperative agreements with universities with unmanned aerial vehicle programs and related assets to conduct collaborative research and development activities, including development of appropriate applications of small unmanned aerial vehicle technologies and systems in remote areas.

§ 31505. Development of enhanced-use lease policy

• (a) The Administrator shall develop an agency-wide enhanced-use lease policy that—
  • (1) is based upon sound business practices and lessons learned from the demonstration centers; and
  • (2) establishes controls and procedures to ensure accountability and protect the interests of the Government.
• (b) The policy required by subsection (a) shall include the following:
  • (1) Criteria for determining whether enhanced-use lease provides better economic value to the Government than other options, such as—
    • (A) Federal financing through appropriations; or
    • (B) sale of the property.
  • (2) Requirement for the identification of proposed physical and procedural changes needed to ensure security and restrict access to specified areas, coordination of proposed changes with existing site tenants, and development of estimated costs of such changes.
  • (3) Measures of effectiveness for the enhanced-use lease program.
  • (4) Accounting controls and procedures to ensure accountability, such as an audit trail and documentation to readily support financial transactions.