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A bill to be entitled

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An act relating to the space industry; providing a short

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title; providing legislative findings; amending s.

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331.3051, F.S.; revising duties of Space Florida to

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include supporting the development and operation of the

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Space Technology and Research Diversification Initiative;

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creating s. 331.365, F.S.; establishing the

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multiuniversity Space Technology and Research

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Diversification Initiative within the Office of Tourism,

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Trade, and Economic Development; providing for duties and

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administration; providing an effective date.

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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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     Section 1. Short title.--This act may be cited as the

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"Space Technology Research and Diversification Initiative Act."

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     Section 2. Legislative findings.--The Legislature finds and

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declares that the anticipated impacts of the National Aeronautics

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and Space Administration's retirement of the Space Shuttle

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program reveal an underlying lack of diversification in Florida's

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space industry. Florida lags significantly behind other states in

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high-value, space-related research and technology development,

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resulting in an economic reliance on launch-related programs. The

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Legislature finds that the state should expand statewide

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involvement in space research and technology development programs

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involving multiple universities, industry, the National

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Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the military.

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     Section 3.  Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (8) of

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section 331.3051, Florida Statutes, to read:

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     331.3051  Duties of Space Florida.--Space Florida shall:

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     (8)  Carry out its responsibility for research and

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development by:

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     (c) Supporting the development and operation of the Space

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Technology and Research Diversification Initiative. Such support

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shall include, but not be limited to:

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     1. Advisory support for defining the focus and scope of

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multiuniversity projects.

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     2. Access to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport and facilities,

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including, but not limited to, the Space Life Sciences Laboratory

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for research and program management.

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     3. Grant funding for projects that support the state's

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objectives for space industry expansion and diversification.

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     Section 4.  Section 331.365, Florida Statutes, is created to

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read:

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     331.365 Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development;

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Space Technology and Research Diversification Initiative.--

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     (1) There is established within the Office of Tourism,

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Trade, and Economic Development a multiuniversity Space

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Technology and Research Diversification Initiative. The

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initiative shall be a university-led program to develop high-

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impact space research and applied technology programs that will

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advance the state's interests in space industry expansion and

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diversification. The initiative research shall be performed by a

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consortium of universities with a main campus located in Brevard,

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Volusia, or Orange County and shall include, but not be limited

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to, the following focus areas:

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     (a) Research into spaceflight biomedical countermeasures to

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address problems associated with sustained human spaceflight and

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exploration and human factors research for commercial human

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spaceflight.

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     (b) Research, technology, policy, and engineering support

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for new government and commercial space transportation programs

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and microgravity research as part of the Hawking Center Program.

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     (c) Research and development for spaceport and range

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technologies and commercialization, including Earth, Moon, and

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Mars spaceport technologies that are priorities for the National

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Aeronautics and Space Administration and matching support for the

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Florida-NASA Matching Grant Program.

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     (d) Research and development for space and upper

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atmospheric science, including, but not limited to, a statewide

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undergraduate-oriented, microsatellite and space

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instrument/experiment design program, and space-based computing

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technologies.

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     (e) The recruitment of out-of-state, world-class space

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researchers to Florida universities.

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     (2) The initiative shall be centrally administered at the

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Space Life Sciences Laboratory by the Joint Institute for Space

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Exploration Research and the Spaceport Research and Technology

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Institute with advisory and other support provided by Space

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Florida. The administering partners shall make a best effort to

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maximize matching investments from industry, the National

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Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense,

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and other organizations.

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     Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.